


Long Way Around

by Zenparadox



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, F/F, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-02-14 04:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 141,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2177511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenparadox/pseuds/Zenparadox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How a brownie changed the course of Callie’s life. ADDED TO CLEAR UP SOME CONFUSION: This is a supernatural/scifi/fantasy romance FANFICTION with some comedy and destiny and fate and romantic love all wrapped into a FANFICTION. It's mostly going to be FLUFF. Callie and Arizona are going to be perfect for each other because they were MEANT TO BE. TRUE LOVE... it's the theme, yo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not part of any series.

Callie Torres loved being a wife and mother. Or, at least she did at first. Right now she was having some serious regrets, and it wasn’t her children that she was regretting… it was her spouse. Honestly, she had no one to blame but herself… well, she blamed her dad a little bit. She had an out and didn’t take full advantage of it and now there were twins. She adored her twins, head over heels loved them. They, and their sister, were the only things keeping her going.

She used to be deliriously happy… before. Before the ‘accident’, and the subsequent infidelity, her family was perfect. Everyone said so. She’d even heard the words ‘aspirational couple’ bandied about on a few occasions. Before. Always before.

Then she’d been blindsided by an infidelity. A betrayal that she never saw coming. She knew things weren’t perfect, but not once had she considered the possibility of falling victim to unfaithfulness. When it happened, she was devastated. She thought her marriage was over, they’d lived apart for a while, the cheater even had a fling with a resident, but with some encouragement from her father _and_ her belief in love and second chances, the marriage she thought was over, was on once again. One thing led to another and their threesome had become a fivesome, _un_ _grupo de cinco._ They’d reconciled, bought a house, and had the twins all within a year. It happened so fast, she’d not given a second thought to how fragile it all was. Until now. Her marriage was broken and she had no idea how to fix it, and if she were completely honest with herself she didn’t _want_ to fix it.

So here she sat, alone, in the hospital cafeteria contemplating the slow death of her marriage while staring at the hot blonde that wasn’t hers to stare at. She stared at a woman she wasn’t married to, a woman who stirred things in her she hadn’t felt in years. Things that threatened marriages, things that made her consider straying, breaking her vows. But, she couldn’t. She wasn’t that person. So she stared and day dreamed. Day dreamed about being cheated on again so she could put this marriage out of its misery.

Surviving the infidelity was hard, painful, something she'd thought she’d never want to experience again, but now it’d give her an acceptable reason to end it once and for all.  She could tell everyone that she’d tried her hardest, but it just wasn’t _meant to be_. That it wasn’t her fault her children would be from a broken home.

The sound of the chair next to her scraping across the floor brought her out of her day dream, she looked over to see Owen taking the seat next to her.

“Do you mind if I sit?” He asked.

“Go ahead. I was just leaving, though. Sorry.” She cleaned up her mess, throwing her trash onto the tray, hiding the fact that she wasn’t actually finished eating.

He glanced across the cafeteria to the table that Callie had been staring at. “How are things with Robbins?”

“What? Why do you ask? Did someone say something?” Callie felt her face heat up as she blushed.

“The tension is obvious Callie, even to me,” he looked at her with sympathy. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but don’t let it affect patient care.”

“Arizona and I are fine Owen, we are professionals. Any issues we have… we would never… Our patient care is fine.”

“Look, I know things are rough right now, but… it’ll get better again. I promise.”

“I have surgery,” Callie lied. She tried to take the coward’s way out and flee the cafeteria, but Owen grabbed her hand before she could get away. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and slid it into her lab coat pocket. She turned and asked him, “Did you need something else?”

“I guess not,” he sighed.

She started to walk away again, but something stopped her. She turned back to the man, “Uh… can you get the boys from daycare tonight? Allegra’s preschool is having that fundraiser and I promised to help. I forgot it was tonight.”

“Oh, I was uh… I had a thing, but I can cancel. It’s not a problem. I guess… I guess I’ll see you at home tonight?”

“Yeah,” Callie replied. Her face unreadable. He didn’t say what his ‘thing’ was and she didn’t really care. His thing could shove it. “Allie and I will bring dinner so don’t let the boys snack too much.” They had started calling Allegra ‘Allie’ for short just recently because the boys couldn’t pronounce her full name. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize the Callie and Allie connection until it was too late.

“Just don’t be too late, they get grumpy when they’re hungry.”

Callie threw a wave of acknowledgement over her shoulder as she quickly left the cafeteria.

***

Later that evening, at Our Lady of Destiny Preschool, the fundraiser was in full swing. Several tables were set up selling items ranging from donated electronics to hand made jewelry to baked goods. Callie thought for a fancy private Catholic pre-school, with really high tuition, they sure held a lot of fundraisers. Multiple bake sales, craft sales, and white elephant sales, such as the one she was currently volunteering for, were always happening. She was manning a table that didn’t seem to be very popular. It was just her and an elderly woman working this stand. She figured it was her luck to get the dud table with the creepy old lady helper. Allegra was a few stands down playing with her friend. They were at popular table, Callie couldn’t see what they were selling, but… their table had a line.

Thankfully, her ‘shift’ was almost over, because she was hungry. Her stomach kept growling, causing the little old lady that was working the table with her to give her the stink-eye. Callie hated getting the stink-eye from little old ladies. She just wanted the time to pass so her and Allegra could grab some dinner and head home. The boys were probably giving Owen a hard time. That thought brought a tiny guilty smile to her face.

The old lady kept looking at her, so she picked up her phone and pretended to be busy. She checked her email again and sighed. Nothing. No one ever emailed her outside of work, but she always checked anyway… just in case.

“Is something bothering you, dear?” The old lady asked.

“No, mam. I’m just a little hungry. I came straight here from work.”

“Oh, please… don’t call me mam, my name is Genie,” she smiled. “What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m a surgeon at Seattle Grace hospital. A cardiothoracic surgeon. I fix hearts.”

“What a coincidence, so do I!” the old woman said. Callie looked at her expecting more, but she didn’t elaborate. Callie was going to ask, but she figured the old lady must be senile and let it drop. She picked up her phone again and refreshed her email.

The woman narrowed her eyes and brazenly looked Callie up and down. Callie shifted in her seat, not used to being scrutinized like this. She was about to call the woman out about it, when her stomach growled again.

“Here, eat this.” Genie reached into her bag and pulled out a brownie. “I made a bunch for the bake sale, but this one is special. This one is for you.”

“Oh, uh… thanks.” Callie took the brownie and let out an embarrassing moan as she took the first taste. Either she was a lot hungrier than she thought, or this was the best brownie she’d ever tasted. She quickly finished the two inch by two inch square of deliciousness, even cleaning up the crumbs from the plastic it was wrapped in.

“Good, good,” Genie said. “Feel better?”

“Yes, thank you. I was famished. I had to skip the end of my lunch today.” She balled up the plastic wrap and tossed it into the trash can. “Does your grandchild go to this school,” Callie asked. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before.”

“Oh, no dear. No, no… I go where I’m needed. I’m kind of a freelance volunteer.”

“That’s nice. I assume you are retired from… what was it you said you did?”

“I said I fix hearts, but not like you. Is that your wedding ring?” Genie pointed to the large diamond on Callie’s finger. “It’s beautiful. May I?” Callie held her hand up for the old lady to get a closer look at her ring, but was surprised when the woman grabbed her hand and turned over to look at her palm. Callie tried to pull away, but the gnarled old fingers were strong. “Calm down, dear. You’re so high strung.”

“What are you doing?” Callie asked.

“Trying to see where you went wrong.” She ran her fingers over the lines on the surgeon’s skilled hands.

“What?” Callie exclaimed. “What do you mean ‘where I went wrong’?”

“Hmmm… a wrong turn… no, not necessarily wrong, but you certainly took a detour. An essential one for that young lady over there… and her brothers, because they were meant for you, but it’s time you correct your course.”

“I don’t know what any of that means,” Callie said.

“What do you believe, Dr. Torres?” Genie asked. “About the nature of existence.”

“You mean like… do I believe in God? I send my daughter to Catholic school, of course I believe in God.”

“Not everyone who goes to church believes in God, dear… But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about destiny and fate?” Callie looked skeptical. “No? What about lives being lived in other realities? Alternate universes?”

“What?” Callie looked at the woman like she was crazy. Mentally ticking another box on her senility diagnosis... maybe even escalating it to dementia.

“You’ll see,” Genie replied.

“Mommy, mommy!” Allegra came running up, interrupting before Genie could elaborate further. “Katie’s here!”

“I see that, sweetie,” Callie smoothed her daughter’s hair down as Allegra’s friend Katie Spencer and her mother Wendy made their way to her table.

“Looks like I’m your replacement, Dr. Torres. You are officially relieved of your volunteer duties.”

“And not a minute too soon,” Genie replied. “Miss Calliope here needs some nourishment. Body and soul.”

“She means dinner,” Callie laughed, completely missing the fact that the woman called her by her full name. “Also, Owen is home, _alone,_ with the boys… I’m not sure what kind of mess we’ll be walking into. The sooner I get there, the better.”

The women made small talk for a few minutes while Callie gathered her stuff to leave. When little Katie and Wendy stepped away to sign in and hang up their coats, Callie took the moment to bid farewell to Genie.

“It was nice meeting you,” Callie said. She shook the old woman’s hand. “Have a nice evening.”

“You too dear,” Genie said. She winked, “I hope you have _sweet dreams_ tonight.”

***

The rest of Callie’s evening went as most nights did. Dinner conversation was dominated by the kids. Then the three b’s: baths, books, and bedtime. Owen retired to the spare room where he’d been sleeping for the past six months, and Callie stared at the ceiling in the master bedroom where she slept alone. Always alone.

Her eyes drifted closed and she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

***

Callie awoke the following morning to the feeling of kisses across the back of her shoulder. Soft sweet kisses. Owen never woke her with kisses, and when he did kiss her… it didn’t feel like that. She must be dreaming.

“Wake up, pretty lady.”

She was definitely dreaming, because that certainly wasn’t Owen’s voice.

“Come on, Sofia is with Mark and we don’t have to be at work until nine. I want morning sex.” The voice whispered into her ear. Both the words and the breath sent shivers through Callie’s body. “Please, Calliope?”

Callie's eyes popped open. She rolled over and came face to face with the woman of her dreams.

“Dr. Robbins? What are you doing in my bed?”


	2. Chapter 2

_Callie’s eyes popped open. She rolled over and came face to face with the woman of her dreams._

_“Dr. Robbins? What are you doing in my bed?”_

***

Callie’s heart beat rapidly as she stared into those blue eyes. The blue eyes of the woman she pushed herself to argue with at work, just to keep her in the room with her longer. The blue eyes of the woman she had to both, mentally and physically, restrain herself from groping whenever they were alone. The blue eyes of the woman who had no idea that her married colleague was creeping on her. Those blue eyes, along with the hot woman they belonged to, were here, in her bed… wanting morning sex. Best. Dream. Ever.

“Oh, so it’s one of those mornings, huh?” Arizona slid on top of Callie and straddled her middle. “You know I love it when you call me ‘Dr. Robbins’. Especially in bed.”

Callie swallowed hard, she was reluctant to speak for fear that her voice would crack. Her hands were sweaty, but she tentatively placed them on the other woman’s legs, the gorgeous legs that were currently on either side of her waist. She swallowed hard again. This has to be a dream.

“Ouch!” Arizona yelled. “Did you just pinch me?”

“I uh…” Callie swallowed again. “I thought I was dreaming.”

“You do realize pinching _me_ does nothing to disprove that you are dreaming? You need to pinch yourself. Or…” Arizona leaned forward so that her lips were just a hair’s breath away from Callie’s own. “ _I_ could pinch you.” The words ghosted over Callie’s lips as blonde’s hands, which were now on her abdomen, started moving, ever so slowly, upward. Callie closed her eyes in anticipation of _whatever_ was about to happen… because she was dreaming dammit, and she could do anything she wanted in her dream. Just as Arizona’s nimble fingers were about to reach the highest peak of the northern mountains… the sound of a pager filled the room, breaking the spell. Callie opened her eyes expecting to be alone, she presumed the awful beep of the dreaded pager had ended her super-hot sex dream. She was wrong.

“Crap. It’s mine,” Arizona said, still sitting atop of Callie’s waist, “911.” She leaned back down and placed a quick kiss on the stunned brunette’s lips, “We’ll have to continue this tonight.”  Arizona removed herself from atop of the silent brunette, grabbed some clothes and stepped into an adjoining room.

After several minutes, Arizona came out from the other side of the glass door that she’d disappeared behind and made her way back through the bedroom to another door, “See you at lunch. Oh… kiss our girl for me.” And just like that, she was gone.

Callie lay on the bed dumbfounded, staring at the ceiling. Not knowing exactly what to think. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation she reached up and pinched herself on the arm.

“Ouch!” It hurt, and she was still here. “Okay… that answers that question.”

She sat up and looked around. This wasn’t her bed, this wasn’t her home. There was a picture of her and Arizona on the night stand that she didn’t remember having taken. She picked it up to get a closer look. They looked adorable together. Happy. The last picture she had taken with Owen he was grimacing, and her eyes were dull, no… dead. She ran her fingers across the glass of the picture frame and sighed.

“What the A-fib is going on?” Having kids had meant learning creative ways to curb her swears, especially the big ones… apparently it wasn’t something she could turn off now that it was on.

***

Arizona had been gone for half an hour and Callie hadn’t moved an inch. Once she finally got her head wrapped around the notion that she wasn’t actually dreaming, that something deeper was going on, she cautiously decided it was okay for her to get out of the bed. Her bladder was starting to protest, and she didn’t really want to pee in Dr. Robbins’ bed.

She tip-toed over to what she assumed, was the ensuite bathroom, the room she’d watched the gorgeous blonde rush into earlier. Arizona had went into the room in her sleepwear then came out of fully dressed, so Callie figured her odds of finding the room to be something other than a bathroom were pretty low. Relieved to see her assumption was correct, Callie quickly used the toilet then stood at the sink to wash her hands. As she did so, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was bit shorter, but overall she was the same person she was last night when she looked into a different mirror. In a different home. With, apparently, a different life.

That’s when she noticed it. The unmistakable scar from a heart surgery. She ran her finger down her breast bone until it disappeared into the camisole she was wearing. She pulled her hand out and removed the shirt all together. She checked her scars with the seasoned eye of a surgeon. They were well healed and small… definitely less than a year old. She figured it was a trauma, because as far as she knew, she didn’t have any underlying heart conditions. Plus, there were other scars on her abdomen of the same age that would have nothing to do with a non-traumatic heart surgery. No, her chest had been cracked because of something big. Something life changing.

She really needed to call Owen and check on the kids. Then… maybe the go to the hospital.

***

She’d found a mobile phone on the nightstand, but trying to reach Owen that way was a fail, both his mobile and their house numbers were not in service. Owen didn’t appear to be in the contacts on the phone, unless it was under some sort of pet name… who the heck was McDreamy?  Not Owen, she was sure of that… unless it was ironic. That made her laugh.

She rummaged around in a handbag for some kind of address book to see if he had a different phone number. The handbag was a little edgy for her tastes, but she assumed it was hers because she was currently staring at her driver’s license. She even looked happier in the driver’s license picture.

The license had her address listed as 140 5th Ave N. Apt. 502, right across from the hospital. Definitely walking distance, she sighed and looked around the room again, at least she wouldn’t have to figure out which car was hers to get there.

She’d yet to leave the bedroom, afraid of what she might find outside of her bubble, but it was almost 8:30 and, apparently, her shift started at nine. She went to the closet to find something suitable to wear to work. Nothing seemed right, it was all either too casual or too dressy. Dr. Robbins went with casual this morning, but that was for an emergency page… Hmmm, unless Ellis had relaxed the dress code, she’d better go with the least dressy dress she could find.

She managed the get herself looking pretty damn good. Serious, talented, hard-core, not someone you mess with.  Nice, but hot. Confident even, a lot more confident than she felt.

She decided as long as she looked confident and professional, then any lack of knowledge about what was going on here she could fake her way through.

***

Callie marched across the street like she was on a mission. Actually, she _was_ on a mission. She needed to figure out: where she was, how she got here, and how to get back. She briefly considered she was in the future and suffering from some sort of retrograde amnesia, possibly caused by the same trauma that caused the scar on her chest, but quickly ruled that out by checking the date on her phone. Which left her with Genie and her suspiciously delicious brownie. Genie was currently her number one suspect, with all of her talk of alternate universes and such, but until she had a better idea of what she was dealing with, she wasn’t going to jump to any mysterious old lady shaped conclusions.

The shortest route from the apartment building to the hospital brought her in through the ambulance bay instead of the employee entrance. Directly by The Pit. She tried to sneak by the chaos, but April Kepner was hollering for someone to call cardio.

She threw her purse behind the triage station and grabbed a trauma gown.

“What do you have Dr. Kepner?” She asked. “How can I help?”

“Oh, uh… Dr. Torres… I guess… Can you man the ultrasound?”

“Of course. What are we looking at?”

“He took a steering wheel to the sternum, he’s having chest pain, shortness of breath…”

“There it is. Cardiac tamponade,” Callie said. “Looks like the pericardium's about to burst. We need to do this right here. He won’t make it to an OR. All right. 18 gauge. Kepner take the over here.”

“Shouldn’t we…” April tried to suggest they wait, but the look Dr. Torres was giving her quickly changed her tune. “Okay, I got it. I’ll take over the ultrasound.”

“I'm going in, um, subxiphoid. Knife.” A nurse handed her the instrument she needed. “Okay, needle.”

Owen ran up just as Callie started to insert the needle. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

Callie was too focused on the patient and what she was doing to react to the fact it was Owen who’d asked the question. “This guy is toast if we don’t drain this.”

“Be careful,” Owen said.

“I know,” Callie tossed over her shoulder as she worked, becoming irritated at his caution.

“Don't puncture the heart,” Owen warned. Callie ignored his coaching and completed the procedure flawlessly.

“That was amazing, Dr. Torres,” April said. “I didn’t know you could…”

But Callie ignored the young woman and turned to her husband. She was furious, “Are you questioning my ability to do my job?”

“No, but this isn’t your job, Torres…” He stepped up to the patient as Callie took a step back.

“Then what is my job, Owen? If it’s not to save patients… what is it?”

“Let’s get him prepped and up to an OR to repair the arterial dissection.” Owen looked to April and gave her some instructions, then to Callie, “You should have waited for cardio… Teddy or Cristina...”

“Yang? You prefer I wait for my resident… ” She paused as something clicked. Army Teddy? He’s here? “Teddy is here?”

“In her defense, Chief,” April interrupted, “this guy would likely be dead if we’d waited.”

“Chief?” Callie chuckled in disbelief. “You’re chief now?” she glanced at his lab coat that unquestionably laid out his title as Chief of Surgery. Her sudden ire calmed at the reminder of this new reality. “I mean…” she cleared her throat, “Of course you are the chief… I just…”

Callie rambled, Owen mostly ignore it, he was looking over the job she’d done. “I have to admit,” he pointed to the patient, “Your work is impeccable. I forgot how capable you were in the ER.”

“I’m sorry, but did you just call me capable? I am excellent at my job, a superstar… and you know it.”

“Of course you are…” Owen added. “I just wasn’t expecting this from you. You constantly surprise me, Dr. Torres.”

Callie cooled as she watched Owen. He worked without saying anything, helping Dr. Kepner prepare to move the patient to an OR.

She didn’t know if her kids existed in this place, but she had to find out, because if they didn’t… no matter how giddy the idea of being with Dr. Robbins made her, she’d need to get back. She couldn’t live without her babies.

She cleared her throat and just put it out there, “How are the kids, Owen?”

He stopped what he was doing and looked up. “They’re doing great,” he smiled.

“Really?” She sucked in a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Relief flooding her whole body.

“Oh yeah, your wife is a real miracle worker.”

“My… _wife_?” Callie swooned just a little at the idea of being married to Dr. Robbins.

“Yeah… I assumed you were asking about the kids she was paged in for this morning? Is there another case you were talking about?” She went from swooning to disappointment in seconds upon realizing Owen hadn’t been talking about their children. Her sweet babies.

“Oh, um no…. that’s what I was talking about.” She tried to hide her disappointment, but tear betrayed her and plummeted from one weak eye. She would need to have a few words with that eye for not being strong enough to hold its tears back.

“Are you okay,” Owen asked.

“I’m… fine,” Callie swallowed. “It’s just been a bit of an emotional morning.” She waved him off.

Cristina ran into the room, “I’m sorry, I was pulled into an emergency valve repair with Teddy… I couldn’t get here sooner. You, um… paged?” Owen’s body language immediately tightened and Cristina looked at everyone but him.

“Dr. Torres just performed an emergency pericardiocentesis, but he needs surgery to repair a tear in the…”

“Callie? You did pericardiocentesis?” Cristina asked. “Up here.” She held up her hand for a high five.

“Why is this so shocking to everyone? I’m not an idiot,” the frustrated brunette complained. And since when had Yang called her anything other than Dr. Torres?

Owen cleared his throat, “We need to get him to OR now. You can celebrate later.”

Owen and Cristina took the patient and rolled off toward the elevator that would take them to the surgical floor. Neither saying a word to each other.

“What was _that_ tension about?” Callie asked.

“I’m not normally one to gossip, but we were both there so…” April looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. “Things haven’t been right between them since the big fight at Zola’s birthday party, you know?”

“Oh… uh yeah, that was… um really something,” Callie tried to fake.

“Pretty much calling your wife a baby murderer in front of all of her colleagues is a little bit more than something, in my opinion.”

“Wait…” Callie heard the words but was having trouble processing the meaning. Baby murderer… big, yes, for sure… more info definitely needed… but that wasn’t the important part… wife. Kepner said wife.

“Owen and Yang are married?”

***

After digesting the idea of her star resident being married to her husband, Callie decided she couldn’t handle any more surprises today. She was hiding in the lobby, sitting at a small table behind the coffee cart, trying to figure out her next move. She had no idea what to do or who to talk to. She was missing her children desperately, and the one bright spot about being _here,_ was in surgery. Probably for hours.

“ _You_ are a bad mother.”

Callie sighed and picked at her napkin. She looked around the lobby for someone she recognized, there were a few people, but no one whose name she knew. There was some guy in line at the coffee cart that was staring at her, but other that, no one was paying her any attention. She took a sip of her coffee then went back to picking at her napkin.

“Real mature. You are just going to sit there and ignore me?”

Callie looked up to see the man from the coffee cart standing in front of her. “I’m sorry… were you talking to me?” she asked.

“What is wrong with you today?” He pulled out the chair at her table and sat down across from her. “First you don’t come by on your way to work for your morning kiss and now you’re being weird.”

“I was supposed to kiss you? What?” Callie shook her head, she was so confused. “Who are you?”

“Kiss me? What? Don’t say that so loud!” the stranger reached across the table and put his hand over her mouth to stop her from talking. He looked around, fear in his eyes, to see who was in earshot. “I don’t want your wife removing anything important from my body. I may want more kids at some point.”

“Oh my god,” Callie yanked his hand from her mouth. “Are we having an affair? Gross.”

“What? No! No affairs, no… just no.” He looked really frightened now, he whispered, “but really, Cal… gross? I’m the father of your child, you shouldn’t call me gross.”

“My child?” Callie sat up straighter in her chair.

“Yeah… your child. You know, the one you forgot to stop by and kiss this morning. And Robbins didn’t either. Her little brown eyes kept looking at the door all sad like. I could barely get her to eat her breakfast. You should feel guilty. You’re a bad mother.”

Callie burst into tears, “I really am… I am a bad mother… oh god, what am I going to do?”

“Oh… crap. Don’t cry. God, Torres, I was just… I was messing with you. She was fine, she ate all of her cereal. She’s in daycare… do you want to go see her?”

“I guess…” Callie sighed. “I have a daughter? I’d really like to meet her.”

“I’ll take you as soon as my coffee is ready.”

Callie took her shredded napkin and blotted at her tears. She didn’t want to meet her child all weepy. She wondered about her situation, married to Arizona… child with some dude whose name she didn’t even know. Yang was married to Owen. And if Owen was the chief of surgery, where was Ellis Grey?

“Skinny white chocolate mocha latte for… Mark,” the barista called out from the coffee cart.

“Oh, that’s me,” the man at the table with her, apparently the father of her child… jumped from his seat to grab his drink. Mark. His name is Mark. Wait that’s... She looked again at the man in question as he joked with the barista. Realization suddenly dawning on her. Addison’s baby daddy’s name was Mark.

“Oh my god. Addie is going to kill me.”


	3. Chapter 3

.  
Mark had been paged as soon as he returned to the table from getting his coffee. Callie planned to go see Sofia, but she just wasn’t quite ready yet... so she rode with this Mark character on the elevator to the surgical floor. She figured she should, at the very least, make sure she wasn’t missing any important surgeries while she wondered around the hospital like a lost patient from the psyche ward.

Before they reached the surgical floor, she decided she needed to find out if her child and Addison’s child were siblings.

“So, uh… Mark,” Callie ventured, “Seen Addison lately?”

“You know she hasn’t been back to Seattle since she delivered Sof,” Mark replied. “We just talked about this a few weeks ago when Amelia was here. How late did your wife keep you up last night?”

“Um, I’m pretty sure mine and Arizona’s night time activities are none of your business and not something she’d appreciate me talking about with you. Seems inappropriate.”

“Who are you?”

“What? I’m me. Why would you ask that?”

“Inappropriate conversations is our thing, Callie,” Mark replied. “Arizona and I share the cooking thing, you and I share stuff we shouldn’t. It’s what we do.”

“I… have no idea how to respond to that.”

“God, you’re weird today,” Mark said. “I’m leaving, I’ve got a set of fake boobs waiting for me…. Drink some more coffee. Get your head on straight. Or go page Robbins to the pediatric on-call room and do something decidedly un-straight. You need to improve your mood.”

***

Callie read the surgical board prudently taking note of names she recognized and of names she had never heard of before. There were still so many questions swirling around in her brain. Who were these residents, M. Grey and L. Grey that were all over the surgical board? Were they related to Ellis? And where was Ellis? And Webber… her resident? Richard was on the board, but no other Webbers were listed. It was too confusing.

She had to read her own name next to _hip replacement surgery_ at noon three times before it sunk in that she wasn’t a cardiothoracic surgeon here, wherever here was. Apparently, she was an orthopedic surgeon... no wonder everyone was so impressed with her perfect pericardiocentesis in the ER earlier.  That made her smile. It also made her think of the orthopedic surgeon that _her_ Dr. Robbins liked to lunch with on occasion. Which then made her wonder if Dr. Robbins had a thing for orthopods. Then she got jealous of the stupid orthopedic surgeon that Dr. Robbins like to lunch with. And now she was frowning.

Which is how Bailey found her when she strode up to the board to make some changes. “I thought you were in your lab all morning, Torres…”

Callie glanced down and saw the friend she hadn’t seen in the weeks since she’d been fired. “Mandy! It’s so good to see you.”

“I know you didn’t just call me Mandy.” Bailey growled. She looked offended.

“I… uh… no, I meant Dr. Bailey,” Callie swallowed hard. This Dr. Bailey wasn’t the same as her Dr. Bailey. That’s for sure. “I’m not… I was just… uh, my lab?”

“You scheduled lab time for the morning and surgeries all afternoon,” Bailey said. She looked Callie up and down. “Are you feeling okay? You look… anxious.”

“Um, anxious? Me?”

“You and Robbins aren’t fighting are you? You know I have vested interest in your marriage, so you would tell me if things were troubling you, right?”

“What? Vested interest?” Callie stumbled over the question. “Um. We are great, things are great… I think… I love her…”

“You think? I don’t officiate weddings for just anybody,” Bailey shook her head. “You love her and you know it. You think,” Baily scoffed. “What kind of talk is that?”

“I’m sorry, I just…”Callie sighed. “It’s been a strange day.”

“You know if you ever _really_ need to talk…” Bailey was suddenly serious, she looked around to make sure no one was listening, “I’ll make an exception for you.”

“No, no, no, Bailey, I’m fine, honestly. Arizona is perfect. I’m just… not feeling myself today,” She figured the easiest thing to do was stay as close to the truth as possible. She really wasn’t herself today. “My mind is practically in another universe.”

“Well, you get your head out of the clouds, you have a full surgical schedule this afternoon.”

“Yeah, about that…”

***

Callie was a heart surgeon, she couldn’t replace a hip- minimally invasive or otherwise, so she feigned ill and asked Bailey to clear her surgical schedule, which Bailey promptly delegated to a resident named Lexie and the orthopedic charge nurse.

After cancelling all of her surgical procedures for the afternoon, Callie finally found herself walking down the corridor toward the daycare.

When she reached her destination, her nerves kicked up again, so instead of going straight in and asking for Sofia, she thought it’d be a good idea to stand outside the window and just watch for a few minutes… in hopes of catching a glimpse of her daughter.

She peeked through the window of the infant room and all she saw were a small number of babies in various stages of sleep lying in the daycare bassinets. Several daycare workers carefully watched over tiny infants. None of those felt like hers- she figured she would know her baby, even if she’d never seen her before.

Callie moved down the hall to the next window. The room contained the older more active babies. She quickly scanned the area seeing nothing of interest until her eyes landed on the far side of the room. What she saw was life changing… axis tilting… earth shattering. Dr. Robbins was sitting on the floor playing with her child. _Their child_. Her thoughts looked heavy and she was obviously taking what comfort she could from Sofia. Arizona looked up and locked eyes with the watching woman, her smile was radiant, despite her slightly gloomy vibe.  Callie’s heart beat so hard in her chest, she had to fight the urge to check her pulse. It was all the confirmation she needed to validate her feelings. She was in love with Arizona Robbins… and when she got home, she was going to do something about it.

Callie stopped her gawking and made her way into the daycare. She sat on the floor with the two, Sofia immediately reached for her.

“Hi baby girl,” Callie rubbed the soft hair on top of Sofia’s head, then kissed where her hand had just been. “Sorry I missed our kiss this morning.”

“What are you doing down here?” Arizona asked. “I thought you’d be holed up in the lab all morning. I know how hard it is to get time in there anymore.”

“I’m just… taking a break. Clearing my head,” Callie replied. “What about you? I thought you were in surgery?”

Arizona just shook her head and Callie instinctively understood not to push. She knew the look of a surgeon who’d lost a patient. No wonder Arizona was seeking the company of her child. Callie gave Arizona a sympathetic smile and reached over and squeezed her hand in understanding.

They spent the next twenty minutes playing with Sofia and taking comfort from each other’s presence. Callie didn’t _really_ know these two people, her wife and child, but she realized this Callie, the one whose body she was currently inhabiting, was one lucky woman.

Eventually, their little family contentment bubble was popped when Sofia started yawning and rubbing at her eyes. They allowed the daycare worker to take her and prep her for her afternoon nap.

After leaving the daycare the two women walked in silence toward the elevator. Callie could tell Arizona needed something from her, but she was still a little unsure of herself.  She wanted to take the woman in her arms, but in the busy hallway it was too much, but once they were on the elevator, they were finally alone. Arizona allowed some tears to well in her eyes and Callie immediately opened her arms to the distraught woman in front of her. Arizona stepped into the embrace and sighed. Her head on Callie’s shoulders, she finally let a few tears flow.

Callie didn’t know what to say, what words the other her used to comfort this woman… so she just held her. She held her tight and let her weep her sorrow at losing a patient, a child, on her shoulder. She ran her hand through the silky blonde hair and kissed her temple, not once uttering a word. Neither of them did. By the time the elevator dinged their destination, Arizona had composed herself once again.

“Thank you,” Arizona smiled as they exited the elevator on the Peds floor. “Every time. You know just how to make me feel better.”

Callie smiled back, she reached out and fixed a bit of Arizona’s hair that was sticking out on the side, then ran her hand down the blonde’s arm and squeezed her hand. “Always,” Callie replied.

“What time is your surgery? Can we do lunch?” Arizona asked.

“Actually, I… uh, I cancelled all of my surgeries this afternoon. I’m not feeling myself and I didn’t want to…”

“Are you sick?” Arizona’s hand flew up to her forehead, checking for fever.

“No… nothing like that,” Callie said. “I think I ate a bad pastry from the coffee cart.”

“I told you those pumpkin scones were an affront to good taste!” Arizona scolded. “It’s almost as bad as carrot cake. Yuck.”

“Actually, it was a brownie.” Callie said. “I’m sure the brownie is the cause.”

“Do you need me to take off? I could come home with you? Mark will happily take Sofia another night.”

“No, I don’t want to keep you from your patients. I’m just going to take care of a few things here and then head out.” As soon as Callie said the words, she was afraid this would be their goodbye. She felt, almost intuitively, that her time here was running out. Maybe she should ask Arizona to come home and spend the afternoon with her. What could it harm?

She was about to open her mouth to suggest it, but fate had other ideas. Arizona’s pager chose that instant to come alive.

“Crap, it’s 911… I have to go,” Arizona sighed. “You sure you will be okay?”

“I’m sure, you go… be a rockstar,” Callie smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Arizona tilted her head and looked at her wife thoughtfully for a minute. She was about to ask again if Callie was okay, why she looked so melancholy, but her pager rang-out again. “The tiny humans can’t wait. I’m sorry.” She started to take off down the hallway, but stopped and turned back to her wife and said, “I love you.” She was gone before Callie could respond.

“I love you, too.”

***

Callie was once again trying to sneak through The Pit, but this time she was headed in the opposite direction. She was almost to the exit when she heard her name being called from somewhere behind her. Maybe she could pretend not to hear.

“Callie! Hey, stop… I need you for a consult. Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Callie stopped her retreat and turned to find Meredith Webber waiting for a response, “I can’t do a consult. I’m done for the day… just on my way out the door.”

“Okay, well I just need you for a second. This old lady will not take no for an answer. I tried to tell her you were in surgery, but she just said ‘I really doubt that’ which I thought was strange, but I guess she was right… because you aren’t in surgery… even though I saw you listed on the board earlier. Lexie was scrubbing in with you.”

“I’m sick, Webber,” Callie said. “I’m leaving early.”

Meredith looked around confused. “Webber? He’s doing a whipple. She wouldn’t accept him anyway, this lady is adamant about seeing you.”

Callie glanced at Meredith’s lab coat and was surprised to see the name Grey… she really needed to get away. She was making too many mistakes, things were too different here.

“She said you’d want to see her too,” Meredith handed Callie the chart.

Callie eyes went wide at the name on the chart, _Eugenia Hart_. She looked back up at Meredith, “Where is she?”

“She’s in bed four.”

***

Callie ripped the curtain back on bed four to find Genie sitting straight up in the bed holding her purse in her lap.

“What did you do?” Callie asked in course whisper.

“Oh, I seem to have tweaked my ankle…”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about,” Callie said.

“I didn’t do anything my dear, you did,” Genie replied. “I just opened you up to the possibility.”

“The possibility of what?”

“Of different choices, different lives,” Genie said. “You were stuck, and it was killing you…” She gently tapped Callie on her breastbone, “inside. You weren’t happy and I could hear it loud and clear. I just wanted to help you.”

“Maybe next time try an honest conversation. Don’t feed me a tainted brownie and send me into an alternate universe.”

“You needed to see,” Genie insisted.

“I _need_ to go back…”Callie said. “My children.”

“I know, dear. I know,” the old woman reached into her purse and pulled out another brownie.

“This is how I get back?” Callie asked. She took the pastry from the other woman. “So… that’s it… just eat this brownie?”

“It is… as soon as you sleep again, after eating the brownie, you’ll awake where you belong.”

“Where I belong? Is this some sort of trick? I’m not going to wake up somewhere else completely, am I? Or back here?”

“No, dear, no… You belong with those three children, just as this Callie belongs with Sofia. They are integral to each of yours happiness. And so is Dr. Robbins.”

“I know, I figured that out,” Callie said.

“It won’t be easy, forging your happiness. It will hurt at times. Are you up to the challenge?”

“To find this kind of happiness? This Callie has the perfect life.”

“Oh no, no, no… don’t make the mistake of assumptions,” Genie warned. “Her life is far from perfect. The moment may be right, but she has some tough times ahead. The difference is she is with the person she was meant to be with, good times _and_ bad. You are not.”

“Will I… have tonight? I mean, will I fall straight to sleep after eating the brownie?”

“You can do anything you want, dear. You can try to sleep now, or you can let the course of the day flow and fall asleep tonight as usual. As long as you remember this one isn’t yours. She belongs to someone else.”

“Of course… I know. I just want have this feeling a little bit longer. What if…”

“What dear? What’s your concern?”

“What if I go home and eat the brownie and my goodbye was in a crowded hospital corridor? What if… my Dr. Robbins doesn’t, you know, like me?”

“Your Dr. Robbins needs you as much as you need her, she just doesn’t know it yet. This little glimpse at what could be… may have changed _your_ perspective, but she’s still in the status quo. She’ll need a push… you’ll have to be the one to reach for your combined destiny. _If_ you are brave enough. And you are going to have to be brave, Callie Torres. Braver than you’ve ever been.”

Callie was about to ask some more questions, but Meredith chose that moment to appear. “Did Dr. Torres get you all taken care of Ms. Hart?”

Genie ignored Meredith for a second and spoke once again to Callie, “You go home, eat that brownie, and make things right. Be brave.”

“I will,” Callie smiled. “I definitely will.” She turned to Meredith and a said, “Dr. Grey, take good care of Genie here. I’ve got to get home. Where I belong.”

Callie turned and walked away without looking back. Just as she was about to go out the door she heard the old lady asking Meredith about her wedding ring and if she was happy. Callie smiled and left the hospital behind, just like she would soon leave this universe.


	4. Chapter 4

Callie stepped out of the hospital into the rare Seattle afternoon sun. Her plan was to go back to the apartment she shared with her, no, other Callie’s, wife and daughter, and wait for them to come home for the evening. Being in the hospital around all those people who are all the same, yet so different, was causing her to make too many mistakes. Plus, she was getting a headache.

While she waited at the intersection for the light to change, Callie ran her hand through her hair, rubbing the side of her head where it was starting to throb. Her fingers massaged the scalp to relieve some tension and as she did so, she found yet another scar. One more question in her very long list of questions. Now she wondered if the headache had to do with what caused the scar or if was simply a symptom of the current stress she was feeling. One thing she knew, though… she needed food, not of brown sugary variety that was tucked safely away in her purse, she needed something of substance.

The light changed and Callie quickly crossed the street. She spotted the Emerald City Bar, it was popular with the hospital crowd, but she rarely went there. After the kids were born, her and Owen almost never went to bars... well, she didn’t, who knows what he did some nights. She debated heading into the bar for a cheeseburger or going straight back to the apartment and hoping there was something there to eat. The ungodly noise coming from her stomach at the thought of some greasy bar food made her decision for her… lunch at Joe’s, then home.

***

Callie stepped through the door into the familiar, yet unfamiliar, bar… the smell of alcohol and stale peanuts overwhelmed her.

“Hey, Callie! Haven’t seen you in a while. You in for lunch?” Came a voice from behind the bar. A happy seeming man pouring a shot of what looked like tequila. She thought that was the Joe that owned the bar, but wasn’t sure.

“Uh… yeah, sure. Cheeseburger?” She sat at the bar. The server brought out a plate of cheese fries and handed them off to Joe, who sat them next to the shot of tequila a few seats down from Callie. “Ooo… I’ll take some fries too, plain though,” she added.

“You on?” The bartender asked.

“What?”

“Are you on duty? You want a drink or are you going back to work?”

“Oh! Uh, yes… I mean no, I’m not going back to work. I’ll have…”

“The usual?”

“Sure… and a water?”

“You got it.” He smiled, “How’s Arizona and the baby?”

“They are both fantastic, thanks for asking.” Callie smiled at the bartender’s familiarity, and assumed she and Arizona were more into going out than her and Owen ever were. The bartender sat a glass of water and a red wine in front of her. She thanked him and took a sip of the wine while she let her eyes wander over the bar. She hadn’t been in her version of this bar since the boys were born.

“Callie! What are you doing here?” Cristina strolled out of the bathroom. “Why aren’t you over there performing more unexpectedly brilliant pericardiocentesises?”

“Dr. Yang? What are _you_ doing here? I thought you were repairing that guy’s…”

“Teddy’s doing it,” Cristina waver her off. “I was on all night, needed food and alcohol,” She grabbed her plate and tequila and moved to sit down next to Callie. She downed the shot, “Joe, hit me again.”

“Yeah… Teddy. How is Teddy?” Callie wasn’t sure why she cared so much, but she wanted to know if this was the Teddy that Owen often spoke of. And it seem liked a good opportunity to interrogate Cristina about a few things.

“Still a widow. Still hates Owen,” Cristina grabbed a fry from her plate. “She doesn’t get too personal with me anymore, for obvious reasons, it’s all about the work. Why are you asking me anyway, she’s your wife’s friend, don’t you guys talk?”

“She…” Callie couldn’t get her words to form past the realization that Owen’s Army buddy was female, not that it mattered she was half a world away and Owen would never… except he had. He’d cheated on her once, and now the only thing keeping him from completely coming apart were his almost nightly conversations with another woman. “She hates Owen? They were in the army together…”

“Well that army connection doesn’t mean much now,” Cristina said, she tackled another of her fries, the cheese started to harden making them difficult to pull apart.

Joe delivered Callie’s burger, which she was thankful for. Her head was pounding and the red wine in front of her wasn’t as appealing as she’d thought it’d be.

“Are we friends, Cristina?” Callie asked. She took a big bite of her burger and waited for Cristina to answer.

“Of course we are. What’s wrong with you?” Cristina replied.

Callie carefully finished chewing her food, then wiped her mouth with the napkin, “Nothing. I just… I’m kind of in a life assessment mood. Taking stock, you know?”

“Ah, one of those moments. I know them well… being friends with Meredith and all.”

“You and Meredith are friends,” Callie repeated. “You and Owen… how are you guys?”

“Still married… still barely speaking,” Cristina turned on the barstool and looked intensely at Callie, as if weighing something.

“What?” Callie freaked out at bit, she grabbed her napkin and wiped at her face again. “Do I have ketchup on me?”

“I think Owen is cheating on me.”

Callie’s eyes went wide, “Uh… I don’t think I’m the best person for you to talk about this with…”

“We just established that we are friends. I need to assess too! I can’t talk to Meredith about this, she’ll hate him for me and I don’t want that right now. Not yet. I just…” Cristina said. She poked Callie’s arm, “What do you think? I mean… we all practically lived together, so you know him pretty well. Is he the type? Could he do something like this?”

Oh yeah, definitely the type, Callie thought, but she didn’t know enough about their situation or this Owen to make any sort of judgments. And they all lived together? What’s that about?

“Come on Callie, you’ve been cheated on. I know O’Malley did a number on you… and I know you knew before he told you. How did you figure it out?”

Callie didn’t know anything about this O’Malley person, but she did know about being cheated on. It was Owen that did a number on her, if not for the twins, she would regret ever taking him back. “A wife just knows, Cristina. If you feel like something is off…”

“That’s exactly what I didn’t want to hear.” Cristina sighed. She motioned to Joe for another tequila.

“I mean, what makes you suspect him?”

“Things have been tense. He’s hasn’t been coming home… sleeping at the hospital. I don’t know… He’s still so mad at me about the… You know what, whatever. I think I’m done talking about this. Sorry I brought it up.” Cristina pointed to Callie’s plate. “Eat your burger before it gets cold.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? I’m a good listener, even if I don’t have any answers for you.” Callie asked. She took a bite of her burger and looked back over at Cristina while she chewed.

“Nope, I’m done,” Cristina said. “The moment’s gone.”

They both ate in silence for a few minutes. Joe refilled their waters and left them once again to talk. “You and Robbins doing well?

“Absolutely, why do you ask?” Callie wondered if there was an ulterior motive.

“No reason. Just wondering if the newlywed phase had worn off,” Cristina replied. “How’s my goddaughter?”

“What?”

“Sofia. You teach her to say my name yet?”

Callie was surprised once again at the differences in the two worlds. She wondered what convoluted set of circumstances lead to her resident to being her child’s godparent. “Um… she’s good, but still working on her mamas’ names.” Callie hadn’t heard the baby say anything earlier, so she assumed Cristina wouldn’t know any different.

“Yeah, double duty there,” Cristina said. “She’s a pretty cute baby, by the way. She definitely grew out of her chicken phase. I have to admit… I wasn’t sure you three would be able to make this co-parent thing work, but you are. Sloan and Robbins are even acting like… friends. Sofia is lucky to have that much doting. Good on you for making it work.”

“Um, thanks,” Callie said. Absorbing the added information. “You want another drink? It’s on me.” Maybe getting Cristina a little tipsy could get her some more information.

“Sure, why not.” Cristina said. “Hey Joe? Hit me again, and put this one on Callie’s tab.”

They spent the next hour sitting and talking. The more Cristina drank the looser her lips became. Callie had hit the information mother lode. Cristina regaled Callie with hospital gossip and the juicy details of everyone’s lives.  Callie learned more than she ever expected to learn, one of those things being her resident may pretend like she doesn’t care, but she pays attention to everything. Callie barely said a word during the whole conversation, just a few well-placed questions and words of encouragement and that’s all that was needed.

Ellis Grey was dead. Meredith Webber, no… Grey, was married to Derek, who wasn’t Addison’s husband and hadn’t been for a long time. Apparently here, he wasn’t so dreary… they even called him McDreamy. Addison was in Los Angeles. April Kepner was still a virgin, which Cristina took great pleasure in knowing. Alex was her wife’s protégé. Lexie Grey was Meredith’s half-sister and her and Mark broke up because Mark kept trying to force her to be a parent to children almost the same age as her. Whatever that meant.

Callie learned that Dr. Robbins had won the Cater Madison grant and dumped her at the airport to work in Africa. She hadn’t handled it well and ended up knocked-up by Mark Sloan. Then Arizona returned because she missed Callie so much, so they decided to get back together and raise the baby as co-parents with Sloan. They got married after a horrible accident in which she and Sofia had almost died. Cristina had saved Callie’s life, while Arizona had saved their baby, who was born at mere twenty three weeks. She couldn’t believe all they’d been through and yet how happy they were despite it. She absentmindedly rubbed at the scar on the side of her head, the headache had receded with the consumption of food, but once Callie knew the cause of the scar she couldn’t keep her fingers from grazing it.

“This was fun, Callie,” Cristina said. “We should do this again. Just because we aren’t roommates anymore, doesn’t mean we can’t hang out. Plus, I like when you buy me tequila. Tell that wife of yours to let you out more!”

“I will,” Callie laughed. “This was a very enlightening lunch. I really had fun. You… are so different…”

“Different?” Cristina asked as she grabbed her jacket off the back of the barstool. “Since I moved out? Not really, I still don’t pick up after myself and live off of cereal.” Cristina sighed, “I’m beat… I’m going to go home and sleep for hours then go stalk Owen at the hospital some more. Have a good evening, Callie.”

“You too, Cristina. I really hope… I hope Owen isn’t…” Callie said. “You guys seem…” She was going to say good for each other, but she just couldn’t tell.

“I know, me too. Me too. Who knows, maybe I’m just being paranoid. Owen and I have survived a lot. I got him through his PTSD, maybe I can get him through this.” And out the door she went.

Callie was surprised by Cristina’s comment about helping Owen’s PTSD. That was something Callie had failed at epically, Owen wouldn’t even discuss it with her. Maybe the Yang in her world is what he needs?

Cristina and Owen… it never entered her mind before, but what if she was the resident he slept with ten plus times while they were separated? What if he loved Yang? What if Callie and Owen’s reconciliation tore apart another meant-to-be couple? She refused to regret it, though, as it gave them Angus and Gavin, but now it was time for them both to be happy. She would let Owen go for both of their wellbeing. Callie felt as though another weight had been lifted. She wouldn’t need to worry about Owen, he would have Cristina.

Joe returned from the back and interrupted Callie’s thoughts. He looked surprised to see just Callie sitting there.

“She didn’t pay did she?” Callie asked.

Joe shook his head no. Callie reached into her bag and pulled out her credit card, “I guess it’s on me, then.”

“You’re an exceptional friend, Callie Torres.”

“That’s good to know, Joe,” Callie smiled as she signed her receipt and left a generous tip for the man. “That’s so good to know.”

***

Callie quietly let herself back into apt. 502, she had no idea why she was being quiet, because she was alone, but it didn’t feel like her home. It took her several tries, as she had no idea which key to use, but eventually she was successful. She sighed relief and took a look around. This time she paid more attention to detail than she did during her panic through the place earlier.

The signs of a baby were obvious, she couldn’t believe she’d overlooked them this morning. Callie found Sofia’s room and smiled at the simple, yet adorable, décor. She picked up a plush elephant, sat in the rocking chair and just took in the room. It was a good room. Sofia’s name was on the wall in colorful wooden letters and on the stand by a changing table sat a picture of Callie, Arizona, and Sofia with balloons on both sides of them and a ‘Welcome Home’ sign hanging behind them. Callie picked up the picture and stared at it. They looked so happy.

That’s when Callie realized how stupid she’s been, she should be looking at her phone. If this Callie was anything like her she would have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos on her phone. She jumped up and left Sofia’s room behind.

She pulled the smartphone out of her bag and made herself comfortable on the big red couch. She spent the next couple hours just scrolling through pictures of a life that wasn’t hers. Pictures of her tiny premature daughter with tubes and wires and smiled with amazement at the transformation as she grew into the beautiful healthy baby she is now. She almost couldn’t count the number of pictures she had of Arizona rocking Sofia in the very chair she just vacated. Apparently, other Callie had a thing for pictures of her wife holding her daughter, and she couldn’t blame her, they were breathtaking together.

On Callie’s second go through of the pictures, a text came through from Arizona asking if she was feeling any better. Callie replied that she was fine and inquired as to when they would be home.

From Arizona’s response, Callie learned she only had one hour until her wife would be here with Sofia in tow. Callie had to make a decision, should she eat the brownie now and try to sleep before they arrived, or spend one last evening with this family that was hers, but wasn’t? This family that she was growing so attached to.

***

Callie’s decision made, she took a quick shower and dug through the dresser drawers looking for something comfortable to wear. She returned to the family room and noticed she’d received a text from Arizona informing her that they were on their way home.

The lock on the door turning caused Callie to panic. She made the wrong decision, she should have gone back. Not risked revealing herself as an impostor. Surely Arizona would know, especially the longer they were together. She grabbed the brownie out of the purse and ran into the bedroom to quickly consume it before the struggling Arizona could make it through the door with the infant carrier.

“Callie? A little help here? I’m not used to carrying all this alone,” Arizona called out from the doorway. “Mark’s on late tonight, so it’s just me and the Little Miss.”

“I’ll be right there,” Callie yelled, bits of brownie escaping from her mouth with each word. She chewed and swallowed as fast as she could, not wanting to keep Arizona waiting. She checked herself in the mirror before departing the bedroom to join her family. As she walked into the family room she said, “Hey, Arizona, I’m not feeling well… so I think I might just go to bed…” She was going to say ‘early’ but was once again bowled over by the sight in front of her. For a second time that day, she fought the urge to check her pulse at her racing heart. Arizona and Sofia were… dancing? Callie was speechless. No way was she going to bed early now.

“There’s Mommy,” Arizona whispered to Sofia, then louder to Callie, “come join our dance party.”

Callie was going to regret not eating that brownie earlier.

***

The initial panic at being alone for the evening with Dr. Robbins and their child wore off quickly after their dance party and they easily fell into a routine. Callie was certainly familiar with the domestic dance of diaper changing and dinner prep.

Arizona ordered take-out and prepped Sofia’s baby food, while Callie tended to Sofia’s wet bottom. Then Arizona took a quick shower, while Callie fed the baby. Arizona was in and out of the shower with practiced ease and strolled back into the family room just as the door buzzed with their pizza.

The two woman enjoyed their dinner, while Sofia messed about with what was left of her food in the highchair. Arizona talked about her day, she filled Callie in on someone named Morgan and her premature baby. Callie wasn’t sure who that was, but she didn’t fail to notice Arizona’s eyes not leaving Sofia while she talked. It made Callie wonder how hard it must be for Arizona to be around preemies, especially ones that weren’t the miracle that their Sofia seemed to be. When the conversation waned and Callie realized Arizona needed a break from the sadness, she told her wife about lunch with Cristina. Callie getting ditched with the bill brought a smile to Arizona’s face and Callie never wanted to see that smile go away.

That’s when she realized her Dr. Robbins didn’t smile like this one. She joked and laughed and smiled, but it wasn’t the smile of a completely contented person. It wasn’t the smile this Arizona gave her. It wasn’t the smile that this Arizona gave her daughter. Genie was right. Callie had to get home and save them both. But first… Sofia need a bath, which Callie was all too happy to volunteer for.

Arizona caught up on her emails, while Callie quickly bathed the increasingly heavy-eyed child. When bath time was over, Callie dressed Sofia in some warm jammies and presented her to Arizona for goodnight kisses and snuggles before bringing her back into the nursery to say goodnight, and goodbye, herself.

Callie wanted to be alone when she said goodbye to this wonderful little girl. This little girl who’d survived so much in her short existence. Who she loved as her own, after only a day. Callie knew there’d be tears and she didn’t want to explain them to Arizona.

She gently rocked her and sang the same song she sang to Allegra and the boys. As the song came to an end, she let her tears flow freely. Sofia’s soft baby snores the only sound in the room. Callie sat there and held her way longer than necessary, so long that when she finally stood to put Sofia in her crib, she noticed they weren’t alone. Arizona’s silhouette was outlined in the doorway of the darkened room. Callie gently put Sofia down, then leaned over and kissed her one last time. She nonchalantly wiped at her tears as she felt Arizona come up next to her and lean over the railing for a sweet baby kiss of her own. When she straightened back up, she put her arm around Callie and whispered, “Was Little Miss being difficult? You took a really long time, I missed you.”

Callie smiled in the darkness. “No need to miss me, I’m right here.”

“Come on, it’s getting late. Let’s go to bed.”

***

Callie’s heart beat so forcefully in her chest, she wondered if Arizona could feel it from her position next to her in the bed. As much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn’t _sleep_ with Arizona, she wouldn’t do that to either of them. This was her Arizona, and she wasn’t the woman this Arizona wanted.

Arizona looked up from the medical journal she was reading and saw Callie nervously fidgeting with the blanket. She closed the book and sat it over on her nightstand and inched a little closer to Callie, who forced herself to look straight ahead.

“Hey,” Arizona said. She took her hand and turned Callie’s face toward her and leaned in for a gentle kiss, which Callie didn’t return. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t,” Callie whispered.

“Why?”

“It… wouldn’t be fair to either of us,” Callie sighed.

“What does that mean?” Arizona asked. Confusion written all over her face.

Callie smiled gently, “It just means that I love you, but I’m not feeling myself today…” she took Arizona’s hand in her own. “Tomorrow I’ll be all yours again, I promise. Right now, though, I just want to snuggle while you tell me a story.”

“A story? What kind of story?”

Callie scooted down under the comforter, pulling Arizona to lay down with her. Once they were settled, with Callie being the big spoon, she replied. “Our story. Tell me our story.”

“You know our story, Calliope,” Arizona tried to resist, but Callie’s breath on her neck, and warm embrace, made it hard to deny.

“Please? I want to hear it from you, how we met… what you thought, how you felt. Can you do that for me?”

Arizona was still facing away from her wife, “Of course I can. I’d do anything for you… you know that.”

“I do know that,” Callie sighed.

“Okay, here goes… I guess it all started when I filled in for Dr. Kenley…”

“Wait, wait… stop. Promise me something first?”

“Anything,” Arizona replied.

“Promise me you won’t forget tonight,” Callie’s voice broke, causing Arizona to turn in her arms so they were face to face. Arizona studied her wife’s face carefully as she spoke. “I know… I know it’s just one random normal night, in a long life of normal happy nights, but I need you to remember it, okay? Can you do that for me? No matter what happens, remember tonight. Remember me? Please?”

“Calliope, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

“Do you promise?”

“Of course… I promise,” Arizona said. Concern still etched on her face.

“Then nothing is wrong,” Callie swore. “I’m just feeling emotional today. I swear it’s nothing…”

“Are you sure?” Arizona asked again. She gently wiped the tears that escaped Callie’s gorgeous brown eyes.

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt,” Callie replied. She even managed a smile of reassurance. “Now, hold me while fall asleep to sound of your voice.”

“Okay… where was I? Oh, yeah… so, I’d seen you around the hospital, but hadn’t really had a chance to approach you…” Arizona narrated their epic tale. A saga that started in a dirty bar bathroom and ended with Arizona’s belief in their happily ever after.

Callie fought to stay awake as long as she could, but the strong arms, warm bed, and dulcet tones of her wife’s voice telling the story of their love brought her a peace she hadn’t known could exist. Her eyes drifted closed and her body succumbed to exhaustion.


	5. Chapter 5

Callie had finally drifted off, surrounded by the warmth of Arizona’s body and the smell of her soft lavender shampoo. She’d never felt so safe and content. She tried to stay in that memory for as long as she could.

She dreamed of multiple parallel universes and blended realities. Worlds were she had Allegra, Gavin and Angus, but she also had Sofia and Arizona. Her subconscious took her on quite a journey, most of which she would never remember, but she always came back to Arizona’s warm embrace and the smell of her soft lavender shampoo.

Until now. Now she smelled maple syrup and warm breath laced with… apple juice?

She opened her eyes to the sight of four identical brown eyes staring back at her from two adorably sticky faces, both mere inches from her own. Callie smiled.

“Hi,” Angus said.

“You wake, Mommy?” asked Gavin.

“I am now,” She smiled. Callie had only been away for what felt like a day, but she missed her kids, oh so much. “Come up here, give me some snuggles, BoGo,” she sat up in her bed and helped the boys climb in. She took the sippy cup of apple juice that Gavin was holding and sat it on the nightstand, then she grabbed them up and hugged and kissed them all over. She would need time to think… time to figure out what to do, but right now she just needed her kids.

Allegra came skipping by the room, she comically halted when she saw her brothers in bed with her mother. Her eyes large and round, her face one of shock and indignation. “I’m telling Daddy!”

“No,” both boys yelled.

“He said not to wake Mommy,” Allegra scolded.

“We din’t,” Gavin said. “I pwomise.”

“We was just lookin’ at her,” Gus argued. “She woked up by herself!”

“Daddy said ‘if she was ‘zausted enough to sleep through her alarm, she needed the extra rest.’” Callie laughed at her daughter’s fairly accurate impression of Owen.

“Was you ‘zausted, Mommy?” Angus asked.

“What is ‘zausted?” Gavin followed his brother’s question with one of his own.

Callie smiled at the interaction. Allegra was a stickler for the rules and she hated when her brothers did things they weren’t supposed to. “It’s okay sweetheart,” she informed Allegra, “I was already awake.” She turned to the boys, “Yes, I was pretty exhausted, Gus… and that just means I was extra tired, Gav.” Then back to Allegra, “I have a question for _you_ , baby girl. Why is there an empty Allegra shaped spot on this bed? You get up here and give Mommy some hugs too.”

“Daddy fixed waffles,” Allegra informed her mother as she climbed into the bed.

“They was yummy,” Gavin said.

“They _were_ yummy, Gav,” Callie corrected.

“You din have any, Mommy,” Gavin said.

“How did _you_ know they was yummy?” Gus finished his brother’s thought.

“She didn’t. _You used the wrong word_ ,” Allegra explained. “She was just correcting you … right, Mommy? You don’t say ‘they was yummy’…”

“But they was!” Gavin protested. Gus just ignored them and started jumping on the bed.

Owen chose that moment to enter the room. “What’s going on in here? Are you guys bothering your mother?”

“Of course they aren’t bothering me, Owen.” Callie said. Her body involuntarily tightened at the sight of him.

“They woke Mommy up,” Allegra tattled on the boys.

“She said your waffles wasn’t yummy,” Gavin countered, pointing toward his sister.

“I was already up, and Allie thought your waffles were delicious. You guys stop fighting,” Callie said.  
“Now, give me some hugs and let Daddy help you get dressed so I can get up and get ready for work.”

As Owen shuffled the kids out of the room Callie called out to him, “Thanks for giving me a few extra minutes this morning. Can we… uh… talk later?”

“Sure. Is everything okay?” Owen replied.

“No, but it will be. I promise.”

***

Callie quickly showered and washed her hair with her overly expensive shampoo. The thought of ditching her normal stuff and buying something lavender scented finally forced her to think about yesterday… or was it last night? She knew it was more than just a dream, even if her body didn’t physically move, _she was there_. In another reality, where she was apparently happy with all aspects of her life. Over there she was a successful orthopedic surgeon and married to brilliant woman. Over there she was happy… but here? Sure, she was satisfied with her career, and her children gave her life meaning, but she felt alone. She was always alone… in a house full of people.

She stood and stared at herself in the mirror and pondered what she needed to do to get her life back on course. So many things to do, starting with leaving Owen. They would never be happy together, she believed that with every fiber of her being. Even if she and Dr. Robbins weren’t _meant to be_ in this universe, she knew that she had to be free of Owen. And Owen needed to be free of her.

Callie had long suspected he wanted out, but didn’t have the courage to make it happen. He’d withdrawn into himself almost a year ago and then one night, after a particularly violent reaction to a nightmare, he almost strangled her in her sleep. Luckily the baby monitor chirped and brought him out of his fugue state before too much physical damage could be done, but they both bore the psychological scars of that night. Callie was afraid to sleep for weeks, so he’d started spending his nights at the hospital- claiming work, but Callie knew it was for her protection. After they played the avoidance game for a while, he started sleeping at home again, but he moved to the spare room. He maintained it was for her safety and at first she was grateful… she didn’t want to wake up dead the next time he had a terror, but as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, the notion of never having sex again started permeating her thought process. Callie may not have loved Owen, but she loved sex. And so did Owen. They were always compatible in the bedroom and that chemistry made the mistake of their marriage and the reconciliation tolerable. Remove the sex and the whole carefully constructed farce falls apart. That had been almost six months ago, right around the time when he’d started Skyping with Teddy on a nightly basis.

She used to think about sex with Owen constantly, in an absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder way, but lately she didn’t think of Owen at all. There was brand new star in her fantasy life, someone she wanted to stop fantasizing about and start actually…

“Callie?” Owen knocked on the bathroom door, interrupting her train of though. “Are you finished showering yet? The kids are dressed and ready to go.”

Callie sighed and looked again into the steamy mirror. Her hair was wet, longer again and her naked body bore no scars. “I need more time, Owen.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Owen asked, from the other side of the door. “You seem… unhappy.”

Callie put both her hands on the sink leaned forward, a laugh bubbled in her throat at the irony. He finally acknowledged her unhappiness on the day she was going to change everything. She turned and opened the door surprising herself and completely shocking her husband as she was standing there completely in the buff. Owen averted his eyes and avoided looking her.

“I… uh… I’m…” Owen stuttered. He hadn’t seen his wife naked in months, so his words left him as his brain processed the sight. Callie rolled her eyes in return and reached back to the bathroom and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself. “Better?”

“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I just wasn’t expecting…”

“It’s okay, Owen…” If he wasn’t brave enough to step up and do the right thing, then she would be. Genie said she’d have to be brave. She would have to make the decisions Owen was too weak to make. “Just… go call your mother and see if she can take the kids tonight, we need to fix this,” Callie pointed back and forth between them. “Once and for all. Do you understand?”

Owen looked confused for a second, and then, as he realized what Callie was talking about, a gloomy look of acceptance took over his face. Which, actually surprised Callie. She was sure he’d be relieved, but instead he looked sad.

“Okay… do uh… you want me to take the munchkins on to daycare while you finish getting ready?” He asked as he backed his way out of Callie’s bedroom.

“Sure, tell them I’ll come lunch with them if I get time,” Callie replied. Just as he was about to step out of her bedroom. “Owen…” He looked back from across the room. “It’s going to be okay… I promise.”

***

Owen shut the bedroom door and quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed out a message. He sighed and hit send.

_‘I’m in trouble… I think my wife wants to have sex with me tonight.’_

When no response came right away, he put the phone back in his pocket and started getting the kids backpacks and lunches together. He shuffled the three out the door and started the tedious process of hooking belts and latching car seats. With the kids secured he rounded the SUV to get into the driver seat his phone finally buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the text.

_‘You need to tell her.’_

He got in the driver’s seat and buckled himself in. He looked in the rearview mirror at his kids happily playing in the back.

 _‘I don’t want to lose my family.’_ He typed back.

 _‘Then man up and do something about it. Either commit to her fully or let her go. This isn’t healthy for anyone.’_ Came the response. _‘Besides, Callie’s not vindictive. She wouldn’t take your kids… would she?’_

_‘When I cheated on her she announced it to everyone in a meeting.’_

_‘Yeah… and I don’t blame her. You cheated Owen.’_

_‘I know.’_

_‘Did she keep your daughter from you when you were separated back then?’_

_‘No, she didn’t.’_

_‘Then why would she now? I have to go… text me later let me know what you decided.’_

“Daddy? Are we waiting for Mommy?” Allegra asked.

Owen looked once again in the rearview mirror, “No, sweetie. It’s just us this morning. You’ll see her at lunch, though… okay?”

“Let’s go, Daddy,” Gavin beeped the little horn on the toy steering wheel that was attached to his car seat. “Wanna drive.”

“I’m drivin’, Gav, it’s my turn,” Gus complained.

“Gus is right, you drove home last night,” Allegra informed.

“Only cause he falled asleep. It’s not fair!” Gavin whined.

“You know it’s okay for both of you to drive, right?” Owen explained. “This is a smart car, so if you both drive it will be able to take the instructions from your steering wheels and combine them. No problem.”

“Is that true, Daddy?” Angus asked, amazed.

“Of course it is, Gus,” Owen started the car and slowly backed them out of the driveway. “Alright boys, get us to the hospital.”

“Yay!”

***

Callie was barely through the hospital door before she was paged to the ER. The case turned out to be familiar as she had just done a pericardiocentesis on the same guy yesterday.

“Dr. Torres, I’m glad you’re here,” April Kepner said. “He took a steering wheel to the sternum, he’s having chest pain, shortness of breath…”

“Prep him for an emergency pericardiocentesis,” Callie said as she quickly gloved up, “he has a pericardial tamponade. We need to drain it, then get him to the OR to repair the aortic dissection.”

“You can tell all of that just by looking at him?”

“I’m that good, Dr. Kepner, don’t you forget it, but… uh… man the echo, just in case.” Callie called for an ultrasound machine to confirm her diagnosis. Once it was confirmed, she started the emergency procedure. “Eighteen gauge…”

Callie was in and out and had the procedure completed in a matter of seconds… thoroughly impressing the young resident. “That was amazing, Dr. Torres. I can’t believe you could tell that just from a quick visual examination.”

“I told you I was a rockstar,” Callie laughed. “Plus… years of experience, you know what to look for.” What she didn’t say out loud was that she had done the same procedure on the same man in another universe… she wondered if all of today was going be like that. Déjà vu style. “You wanna scrub in? Help me repair the tear?”

“I would love to, Dr. Torres,” Kepner looked around as if she were frightened, “but what about Yang and…” she swallowed hard before saying the next name, “Webber?”

“Yang was on all night, she needs to go home. And what’s Webber going to do?”

“Uh… have her mother fire me? She’s still mad about… other stuff.”

“That stuff with Karev?”

“Yes,” April looked ashamed.

“Do you mind if I give you a word of advice on that subject?” April shook her head no. Callie motioned for the nurse, “Get me an OR and prep him for transport the surgical floor, we’ll meet you up there. Kepner, you come with me.” As soon as they were alone on the elevator Callie said, “You did her a favor. They weren’t right for each other, they weren’t meant to be. She’ll realize that and forgive you.”

“How do you know?”

“A genie told me,” Callie deadpanned.

“Wuh?” April made a face.

“I’m kidding,” Callie lied. “The signs are there, April. If Karev was meant for her, would he have been having a secret relationship with you?”

“I guess not,” April conceded.

“She’ll find the man of her dreams. Maybe she already has…”

“What about me?” April asked. “Is Alex the one for me?”

“What do you think?” Callie asked. April just shrugged her shoulders. “Do you really want to be with a guy who would sleep with you while getting engaged to your friend?”

“I guess not… but he was my first. Do you think he could ever love me?”

“I think right now, Alex Karev, loves himself and only himself. He needs someone to kick his ass, get him to care about something other than his own gratification and ambition. Do you think you could be that person?”

“I don’t know,” April sighed. “He hasn’t even talked to me since ‘the incident’ and Webber hasn’t either. She’s become best friends with Yang… and it’s freaking me out. When they look at me, sometimes I feel like I should fear for my life. They look like they are planning my demise,” April shuddered. “And I’m only half joking.”

Callie laughed, “I don’t think you need to fear for your life, and if Webber were going to have Ellis fire you, she’d have done so by now.”

“You are so lucky to have Dr. Hunt. I wish I could have a relationship like that.”

“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there,” Callie said. The elevator dinged their arrival at the surgical floor and the two women stepped off together. “We’ll see if you feel the same way this time tomorrow.”

“You and Dr. Hunt are having problems? No…. no… You can’t,” April whined. “I love you guys.”

Callie clamped her hand over April’s mouth. “Keep your voice down, nobody knows. _He_ doesn’t even know.” Callie removed her hand from April’s mouth.

“You told me a secret? Wow… I didn’t know we were that close.”

“Yeah, well don’t let it go to your head,” Callie said as they made their way into the scrub room. “My only other two friends have either been fired or is on maternity leave. I had to tell someone. I figured you kept your relationship with Karev a secret, I could trust you with mine.”

“Oh my god,” Kepner’s eyes went wide at the implication. “You’re having an affair?”

“No, god!” Callie looked at April with disgust. “I would never.”

“ _He’s_ having an affair?”

“Stop prematurely jumping to the wrong conclusions,” Callie admonished. “It’s annoying.”

“Sorry. I just assumed because you mentioned my unfortunate circumstance… wait, if no one is cheating…” April looked around to assure they were alone. “Has he ever… been violent with you? I know he smashed a window in the ER a couple weeks ago.”

“No… not… It’s nothing like that, we … we don’t love each other April, we just aren’t meant to be. We were a mistake from the start, but I’m fixing it… tonight.”

“Well, good luck, Dr. Torres. I hope things work out for the both of you.”

“Me too,” Callie sighed. They finished scrubbing in silence. “You ready to save a life?”

“Always.”

***

The surgery went spectacularly well and Callie found herself impressed with April’s skills, but much to her surprise, she also enjoyed the younger redhead’s company. With the procedure finally finished, Callie and April went their separate ways.

Thinking about the operation she just performed and how it was the same guy as yesterday, Callie wondered if anything else was the same. She checked the surgical board and, sure enough, Arizona had been paged in early for an emergency and was supposed to be in OR 4… but Callie suspected, if things went as they did in her dream… trip… whatever, that Dr. Robbins’ tiny patient didn’t fare as well as hers. Which meant Dr. Robbins was somewhere in this hospital in need of some comfort. She turned to the scheduling nurse stationed at the surgical floor main desk asked if Dr. Robbins was still in surgery. She found her suspicions to be true. Dr. Robbins’ surgery had gone south just a few minutes ago and she was currently informing the parents.

Callie was apparently incapable of not trying to console the woman she loved, but barely knew, which is how she found herself pretending to text just down the hall from the family waiting room. The room where a family was being devastated at this very moment. She felt a bit of shame that the family wasn’t her main concern, but they would have plenty of support. Hospital counsellors would help with the initial aftermath, and they would likely never be the same, but Callie only cared about the surgeon giving the news. Before long the blonde exited the waiting room and slowly made her way toward the attending surgeon’s lounge. There was no spring in her step and her shoulders hung low, Callie couldn’t help but follow.

Entering the lounge, after waiting a whole torturous minute so as not to be too obvious, Callie casually strolled over to where Arizona was mindlessly stirring her coffee.

“Hello,” Callie said.

Arizona looked up from what she was doing and managed to smile, “Dr. Torres, how are you?”

“I uh… heard you lost a patient,” Callie swallowed, “I thought you might need a friend?”

“Are we friends, Dr. Torres?” Arizona took a sip of her coffee.

“I’d like to think so.”

Arizona tilted her head and really took in the woman in front of her. They’d never interacted in an overly friendly way before, they were colleagues at best, but they did have a break through moment during their artificial lung case a few weeks back. Maybe they could be something more than adversarial coworkers. “Then I guess we are. But… I’m fine. Really. I just need to drink my coffee and get on with my day. It’s how I cope.”

“Okay, then. Oh…. Uh, speaking of beverages, we never did get that drink,” Callie said. “Maybe we could…?”

“Maybe,” Arizona replied, still a bit guarded.

“Actually… I, uh, may have some time coming up. Can I call you… _when I’m free_?” Callie asked.

Arizona just stared at her for a few seconds, as if she were trying to suss out if there were ulterior motives. Callie stared to panic, maybe she’d overstepped.

“I’d like that,” Arizona finally said.

Callie released the breath she was holding and her smiled practically broke her face. “I’ll uh… I’ll call you then.”

“Sounds good,” Arizona smiled, dimples in full effect. Callie may or may not have swooned a little. “Um, Dr. Torres… are you okay?”

“What?” Callie questioned. “Why do you ask?”

Arizona pointed to Callie’s wrist, “You… appear to be taking your pulse.”

***

After leaving Dr. Robbins in the lounge, she leaned back against the closed door, mortified by her actions. Checking her pulse… what was she thinking? She needed to get herself together. She was a grown woman, asking a _friend_ to drinks, not some teenager asking for a prom date. She had to get her bearings. Firm up some courage before talking to Dr. Robbins again.

***

The rest of the day went by without incident, no more freaky occurrences of déjà vu. Just a regular day that would end with Callie turning her world upside down.

She spent half her lunch with the kids in daycare and the other half stalking Dr. Robbins in the cafeteria, who was with that ortho surgeon again. Callie was almost sure that hussy had questionable intentions… and questionable morals. She _almost_ felt bad about thinking such bad thoughts about another woman. Someone who had never wronged her in anyway. She was just some random ortho surgeon that she didn’t even know… someone who just happened to be having lunch with Callie’s soulmate. Unfortunately, her jealously was slightly stronger than her sense of goodwill, so the bad thoughts won out.

Soon, Callie thought, soon she would be the one sitting there having lunch with Dr. Robbins, and there would be no question of her intentions. _Soon_.

***

Callie pulled into the garage just after 7 PM. Owen had dropped the kids off at his mother’s for the night, so they had the full evening to talk and make important decisions. Not about their marriage, that decision was made. She was done, for her there would be no conversations beyond asset splitting and custody. She just hoped Owen was amenable to her needs.

She entered through the mudroom door that connected the garage to the kitchen, she half expected him to be sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her. She was quite surprise to find the room empty.

“Owen?” Callie called out. “Hellooo? Owen?”

“Upstairs,” came the answering call. “In the bedroom.”

“Okay, I’ll be right up.” Callie hung her keys on the hook, and dropped her bag on the kitchen table. She ascended the stairs, practicing in her head what she was going to say, then headed directly to the spare room that Owen had been sleeping in. It was empty. “Owen?”

“In our bedroom,” he replied.

“Huh…” Callie was confused. He’d previously moved most of his clothes to the spare room closet and used the attached bathroom, so he rarely entered their room at all anymore. She entered her bedroom to find him there waiting for her. He had just finished removing his tie when she came through the door. She kicked her shoes off and walked over and put them in their place in her closet and when she turned back around Owen was removing his shirt. “I, uh… want to talk to you about…”

“You don’t have to say anything, Callie,” Owen interrupted. He unbuckled his belt and was now unbuttoning his pants. “I know what this is about.” He dropped his trousers and boxers to the floor.

Callie was dumbstruck for a moment. Owen was standing there naked, but for his socks… pants around his ankles.

“Let’s do this,” he pointed toward the bed.

“Please, _please_ pull your pants up,” Callie fought the urge to cover her eyes.

“What?”

“I want a divorce,” she blurted instead.

“Okay… not where I thought this was going,” Owen slowly bent down and pulled his pants back up. “I thought… this morning with the nakedness… and you said we needed to fix this. I thought you meant sex.”

“It’s too late for that, Owen” Callie sighed. “We let it go too long. I don’t want to have sex with you anymore, ever again. I want us to be happy, but we never will be as long as we hide behind sex. We never will be as long as we are married. I’ve thought about this a lot. There is no fixing us, we’re over. I want a divorce.”

“Callie,” he sighed. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

He stared at her for a long few seconds, his face unreadable, then slowly the lines in his forehead smoothed, and the tightness of his posture softened. His eyes filled with tears. Callie knew they were not tears of grief, but those of relief.

“What about the kids?” Owen managed to rasp over the lump in his throat.

“We have all night to talk about that,” Callie smiled. “Put your clothes back on, let’s go downstairs… order a pizza, drink a few beers… and figure this all out.”

And that’s what they did… ate pizza, drank too many beers, and talked about how great their kids were. They agreed, no matter what… they would remain friends and every decision they made henceforth, the kids came first. It was the most pleasant evening they’d had together in a long, long time. They were free of their obligation to pretend, and that made all the difference.

At the end of the conversation it was decided that Owen would stay, in the spare room, one last night, before moving to his mother’s. As they parted for bed, Owen grabbed Callie and pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you,” he said.

“For what?”

“For being brave enough to end us.”

Callie went to bed that night with a smile on her face, ready to take the next step in her new life.


	6. Chapter 6

Almost a week had passed since Callie and Owen had agreed to end their marriage. Things were transitioning fairly smoothly. A legal separation was filed for, and the news was broken to the kids that weekend. Allegra was frightened and confused at first, but temporarily diverted with the prospect of spending more time with her beloved Nana, Owen’s mom. The boys, however, were surprisingly indifferent. Gavin even informed them that he didn’t even know they were married. His friend Bobby from daycare said married people sleep together, and he couldn’t ever remember Callie and Owen doing that, so the fact that they would no longer be ‘married’ meant absolutely nothing to him. Gus agreed with Gavin’s assessment totally. They hadn’t been acting like a family for a long time, and the effects of Callie and Owen’s distance had already been felt

Callie believed with all her heart that this was the right decision for them as a family. Owen needed help that she couldn’t provide, and the kids needed to see what true happiness was. Callie hoped that she would be able show her children that happiness with Dr. Robbins. She knew it was possible, she’d seen it with her own eyes, but as it was now, here in this universe… she wasn’t even on a regular first name basis with Dr. Robbins.

Patience wasn’t something Callie Torres normally possessed, well it was something she kind of possessed, but only in fits and starts. She was patient until her mind was made up, then she went after what she wanted with everything she had. What Callie really wanted right now was Dr. Robbins. She’d been patient for so long, it was hard for her to remain patient now.

The past year and a half had been nothing but professional, on the surface, but underneath, Callie long harbored, what she thought, was a harmless admiration of the beautiful blonde pediatric surgeon. It turned out to be much more than that.

It started innocently enough; several months before the Owen incident, the boys were about eight months old and Allegra barely three. Just one random Saturday morning… Callie had the kids at the park early. Owen was working, as usual, leaving Callie alone with the munchkins. The playground they frequented shared a parking lot with the public tennis courts and that’s where she saw her. Dr. Arizona Robbins standing by a tiny little sports car, the kind Callie _used_ to want before she had three car seats to make room for, in a tight little tennis outfit… kissing another woman.

Callie had always known she had an attraction to women. She’d even dated a few in the past. She also recognized, that just because she’d married a man- that attraction didn’t just disappear. Knowing that Dr. Robbins was also into women forever changed how she viewed her colleague. She knew it shouldn’t, but it did.

The following Monday, she mentioned what she saw in the park to her friend Addison, who wasn’t surprised. How had Addie known Dr. Robbins was gay and she hadn’t? The answer was simple, Addison actually talked to Dr. Robbins on a regular basis. Their specialties crossed over from time to time and they interacted in a friendly way. Addison informed Callie that Dr. Robbins wasn’t closeted, she was just careful who she shared her outside life with. Apparently, Callie didn’t rate. Addison went on to inform Callie that Arizona, did indeed, have a girlfriend. Someone she was serious about… which made Callie irrationally angry. She felt irritated every time she had to work with Dr. Robbins.

Then the Owen trying to kill her in her sleep stuff happened and Callie was distracted and miserable for months. She had been so busy, wrapped up in her own life, she’d lost interest in Arizona… she’d lost interest in most things. Until she saw Dr. Robbins duck into an on-call room in tears. Her interest was piqued once again. All she wanted to do was go and comfort her… but, she didn’t. She couldn’t. They weren’t even friends. She later heard through the hospital grapevine (Addison mostly) that Arizona had officially broken-up with her girlfriend. Dr. Robbins was brokenhearted and single.

Suddenly, all Callie wanted was be closer to beautiful blonde… in any way she could. She felt drawn to her. She often made excuses for them to work together. She even subconsciously scheduled her lunch so she could be in the cafeteria the same time as the pediatric surgeon, by chance at first, and never obsessively, but enough that Callie eventually realized she was developing some serious one-sided feelings toward Dr. Robbins. She even sparked back up their somewhat adversarial relationship in an attempt to get a reaction, any reaction from Arizona. Thinking back, Callie felt a little creepy, but she never crossed any boundaries. Just some harmless admiring from afar. The more time she spent around the object of her affection the more her feelings grew. She also knew that she’d never be able to act on those feelings. She was married and had children, her unrequited adoration was always going to be secret.

Then she met Genie and took her little trip and suddenly her world tilted. Her year and a half of fascination had reached its boiling point. That one glorious evening spent with alternate Arizona (and what could be) had sealed the deal.  Callie’s feelings couldn’t be described as a girl crush anymore, they weren’t a professional _or_ personal admiration. Oh no, she _wanted_ Arizona Robbins, she _loved_ Arizona Robbins.

Now that Callie no longer had a reason to deny her feelings, she was ready to take charge of her life… to stop letting things happen to her, and start making things happen for her.

She had taken the first step toward her destiny by separating from her husband. Making it official. Now, she just needed to take the second step, but she didn’t know how. Should she just ask Dr. Robbins out on a date? What if she was dating someone? Or should she just try to be friends at first? Maybe have that drink they kept discussing. Something… anything to break the ice.

Callie had tried several months ago to inquire about Arizona’s personal life, but had been shut down by Dr. Robbins. She said she didn’t really have time for much of a personal life, but what little she had, she preferred to keep it out of the hospital. That was that, the last time Callie had tried to ask about anything beyond work. There were times, though, when she caught Dr. Robbins staring at her, which made her question how one-sided her interest was. When they worked the artificial lung case… and they’d hugged? It didn’t feel one-sided, it felt like potential. That’s what she was holding onto. That little bit of hope that she wasn't the only one who'd suppressed interest because she was married.

And that’s how she found herself standing at Dr. Robbins lunch table, blurting the words, “I’m getting a divorce.”

Arizona’s face change for a millisecond into something Callie couldn’t quite pinpoint, but Ortho surgeon just stared back.

“Uh… what I mean is…” Callie babbled. “Dr. Hunt and I are separated. I just wanted to tell you.  So you would know…”

“I’m so sorry, Dr. Torres,” Arizona replied. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, you know… I am,” Callie smiled. “I’m more than okay, I’m relieved. It’s been a long time coming.”

Ortho looked back and forth between the two women, who had both stopped talking and were now just staring at one another. She cleared her throat, bringing both Callie and Arizona out of their gaze.

“Oh, uh… I’m sorry for interrupting your lunch,” Callie said. She couldn’t believe she got caught staring. “I’ll let you get back to it.” She started to back away.

“Thanks,” Ortho said.

At the same time Arizona replied. “You weren’t interrupting anything. You don’t have to run off so fast.”

“Arizona, I thought we were going to talk about the… you know…” Ortho said.

Callie got the impression that Ortho Whats-her-face really wanted her to leave, but Arizona had asked her to stay… she really didn’t want to give Ortho the satisfaction of running her off.

“I’m sorry, we haven’t met. I’m Callie Torres, Cardio,” Callie held her hand out for the thus far nameless woman to shake, “and you are?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry… where are my manners?” Arizona looked at her friend, then back up at Callie. “Dr. Samantha Wylie, this Dr. Calliope Torres… the cardiothoracic surgeon I had the artificial lung case with? Remember I told you about her? How great she was?”

“I remember you saying how infuriating she was,” Dr. Wylie said as she shook Callie’s hand.

“I did not,” Arizona protested, she gave a stern look to her friend, then turned back to Callie. “I swear I was nothing but complimentary… uh, _after_ it was successful…” she smiled a little sheepishly.

Callie already didn’t like Dr. Wylie, and she wasn’t doing herself any favors by doing whatever it was she was trying to do… but Callie did kind of enjoy seeing Dr. Robbins flounder about, trying to talk her way out of the thorny position Dr. Wylie put her in.

“Is that right, Dr. Robbins?” Callie teased. “You were _nothing_ but complimentary?”

“Well, maybe I did complain a little at first…”

“She called you a raging psycho with control issues,” Wylie said.

“Sam!” Arizona shouted.

“Okay, that got harsh fast…” Callie said.

“Dr. Torres… Callie. She’s joking,” Arizona stood and grabbed Callie’s hand. “I would never...”

Callie looked down at their clasped hands and smiled. That bitch could call her whatever she wanted if the apology involved Arizona touching her. Besides, all surgeons had control issues, Callie knew they butted heads on that case quite a bit. At least Arizona didn’t say she was boring.

“Arizona, be honest,” Sam laughed. “Every night that we met up at Joe’s… for the few weeks you guys were on that case together, you were so… heated. Frustrated. You thought she hated you.”

Callie looked at the ground embarrassed, had Arizona really felt that way? Had Callie’s innocent fight-picking backfired? Did Dr. Robbins really think she was a crazy controlling bitch? Callie was fun, easy-going… she was no Ellis Grey.

“Sam, stop it,” Arizona pleaded. “Please, tell Dr. Torres you are joking… and apologize to her.”

“I’m sorry… Arizona didn’t _exactly_ call you a psycho… not in those words,” Sam said, this time she did reach out to shake Callie’s hand. “Really… I’m sorry. I promise…. Friends?”

Callie didn’t believe that woman wanted to be her friend for a second, but Arizona seemed genuinely mortified by her friend’s outburst, so she reluctantly dropped Arizona’s soft hand and shook Samantha’s. Callie thought it was an awfully weak handshake for an orthopedic surgeon.

Thing got awkward quickly, so Callie decided she needed to get away, rethink her game plan. Maybe getting this Arizona to fall in love with her wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

“Actually, I better go,” Callie said. “The boys are expecting me to stop by daycare for lunch. They really miss me on Allegra’s preschool days.”

“Okay,” Arizona replied, she felt bad that her friend had revealed stuff that she had said in confidence. She didn’t want Callie to leaving thinking she meant those things, so she beamed a full dimpled smile. Trying to impart that there were no hard feelings. “I’m… happy for you?”

“Hmm?” Callie lost the ability to think with that smile directed at her. “Happy for me?”

“Your divorce?” Arizona replied. “Or are we sad?”

“No… definitely happy,” Callie quickly added. “Just a lot happening all at once is all.”

“Well, if you need someone to talk about it with…”

“I’ll, uh… find you,” Callie replied. “I promise.”

Callie walked away, head held high, she heard from behind her “Dr. Wylie, what the hell was that about? You need to explain yourself. I said that stuff in confidence…”

***

Callie spent the rest of afternoon sulking. She needed to talk to someone, but neither Addison nor her sister were answering the phone… so she grabbed the first surgeon walking by.

“Kepner!”

“Oh, hello Dr. Torres… how are things?” April tentatively asked. “I heard about… you know… the uh… thing with Dr. Hunt.”

“Owen and I are separated… we are divorcing. No one died, no need for eggshells,” Callie sighed. “I need to ask you something.”

“Okay… shoot,” April said.

“Am I a raging psycho with control issues?” Callie blurted.

“What? No… Dr. Torres, you aren’t… _really_ ,” April replied.

“Gee, thanks, Kepner, you sound so convincing.”

“Well… do you want me to be totally honest with you?” April asked.

“No, I want you to lie to me… of course I want you to be honest. Spit it out,” Callie was already frustrated, and now she was getting a headache.

“Okay… sometimes, not all the time… just sometimes, you can be a bit of a grumpus.”

“That’s not a word, Kepner,” Callie replied. Her head was starting to throb so she rubbed her temples to release some tension. “I need real help here, not nonsense words.”

“My mother uses that word, she says it’s so silly…”

“Kepner, just… stop… I need you to speak differently...” Callie said, her headache increased with every sound April uttered.

“I’m sorry?” April wasn’t quite sure what Callie was asking.

“It’s your voice. It’s a little- Just speak differently.”

“Like with an accent?” April’s face twisted with confusion. “I guess I can try…”

“Oh my god, Dr. Robbins is right… I _am_ a raging psycho with control issues!” Callie blurted. “I’m sorry, April… I have to go. Your voice is lovely… I promise.” Callie swiftly left the puzzled resident behind.

After moping around the hospital for the rest of the afternoon, mostly avoiding Dr. Robbins, her shift was finally over. Owen had the kids tonight, so Callie was free of responsibility or the first time in a very long time. She had no idea what to do with herself. What did single childfree people do with themselves?

***

Sitting alone at a bar sipping on something the bartender recommended wasn’t how Callie imagined her life post Owen. Sure it had only been a week, but she wanted it all to happen right now.

Of course, Dr. Robbins wasn’t going to magically fall in love with her just because she was suddenly single, but oh how she wished it could be that easy. Callie had baggage, and she knew it… plus, it was her own fault that Arizona thought she was _overbearing_. She’d intentionally been cultivating an adversarial relationship for months. It was stimulating at the time, but now she regretted it. She needed to think… no, she needed to _drink_.

She took another big gulp of her… Scotch? She’d asked for something expensive, she felt like splurging on herself. It was a bit strong for her tastes, but it was doing its job. Getting her drunk.

Callie swirled her drink to blend it with the melting ice. She was so bored. She was about to strike up a conversation with Joe, the bartender, when someone sat one seat down from her. Callie looked up from her drink and immediately knew who it was. Though she’d never met him here, she’d shared one conversation… and a child with him in the alternate universe.

“Addison’s baby daddy, right?” she asked.

“You must be a friend of Derek’s.” Mark laughed.

“Not really,” Callie replied. She reached over to shake Mark’s hand “Dr. Torres. Callie. I am a friend of Addison’s, though. So, I’ve heard about you.”

“Mark Sloan,” he introduced himself.

“Bad day?” Callie asked.

“You could say that. You?”

“Oh yeah…”

“So what have you heard about me, exactly?” Marked asked. He slid over onto the barstool right next to Callie’s.

“Mostly things that involve the words dirty and bad…” Callie smiled. “You are the father of Addison’s unborn baby… and you are trying take her back to New York with you.”

“Right. I guess there really is no starting over, is there?” He sighed. “Can I buy you a drink Callie?”

“Only if you don’t read anything into it,” Callie replied. “Because I’m not interested beyond a drink and maybe some conversation.”

Mark sized her up. “Are you sure about that? I’ve heard some things about you, too. Addison can be quite chatty. Said you were divorcing… and haven’t had sex in almost a year. That’s gotta be tough.”

“She said that? Ugh, how does she even know? She won’t answer her phone! Wait… so are you really going to hit on me, with your pregnant girlfriend… _my friend_ , at home on early maternity leave waiting to pop?”

“She’s in LA,” Mark replied. “And… she’s not my girlfriend. She doesn’t want me. The baby’s not mine.”

Callie’s eyes widened at the revelation, “Oh, gossip, do tell,” She took a sip of her drink. “Is it actually Derek’s?”

“Not really my story to tell, but no… it’s not.”

“Wow…. I don’t even know what to think… Why… why is the big rumor around the hospital it’s your baby?”

“Derek jumped to conclusions, that’s on him. He’s so smug… and she’s been calling me for months, upset about him. I wanted her, and I would have raised that baby… but she doesn’t want me or Derek.”

“Why wouldn’t she talk to me about this? I’m her friend.”

“Maybe that judgey face you are making is the reason.”

“What? No… I’m not judging her,” Callie said. “Who am I to judge? I’ve been not sleeping with my husband and secretly lusting after someone else for months. I have no room to judge anyone. Why would she keep this secret from me?”

“Sounds like the both of you have been keeping secrets,” Mark replied, his grin somewhat lecherous. “Who are you lusting after?”

“That’s none of your business,”

“I know it’s not Derek, he’s not attractive enough for you anymore… he’s really let himself go. He’s in serious need of a shave and a haircut.” Mark sized her up, “You are hot… you probably want someone of equal hotness. Let me think… Oh! That Karev guy?”

“God no,” Callie shuttered. “ _So_ much no, he definitely has too much going on right now.” She laughed, “But I think it’s adorable that you think Karev is hot.”

“I can appreciate a good looking man,” Mark replied. “Hmm. I _will_ figure this out... I’m good at reading people.”

“Right,” Callie was skeptical.

“What will you give me if I do?”

“Not sex,” Callie laughed.

“Respect?”

“Has to be earned,” Callie countered. “And guessing who I have the hots for is not respect worthy.”

“How about, if I guess it right… you give me the benefit of the doubt and let me buy you a drink?”

“A drink with no expectations?”

“Just a friendly drink.”

“Why are you so desperate to buy me a drink,” Callie asked.

“Honestly?” Callie nodded her head yes, “With Addison gone, I don’t have any friends in Seattle. I’m lonely, and she’s quite fond of you. So I figured you’d be… I don’t know… nice.” Mark answered.

“Fine,” Callie relented, she knew what it was like to be lonely. “Give it your best shot.”

“Okay, but you have to answer one question first.”

“What?” Callie blurted. “Oh… no, that’s not part of the deal.”

“Come on… I’ve only been here a month… I just said I don’t know anyone here.”

“Why are you still here anyway? If Addison is gone… and Derek hates you… What is keeping you here?”

“Ellis Grey,” he replied. “Initially I was going to stay until the baby was born, but… Addie skipped town, so I was going to go too. But Dr. Grey asked me to stay and consult on an upcoming surgery. A big one. Conjoined twins in Boise.”

“Oh, yeah. A large team of surgeons from our hospital are going. Derek included.”

“Yeah, well that woman is really difficult to say no to, so I signed a temporary contract… six months max. Then I’m out of here,” Mark motioned to Joe for another drink. “Stop deflecting. Are you going to let me ask my question so I can tell you who you are lusting after?”

“Mmm, okay…” Callie relented. “ _One_ question.”

“This person you want… what is their best feature?”

“Eyes. They have _beautiful_ eyes… oh and their smile is radiant… they just sparkle, you know?”

“Well, now I already know who it is. You are easy, Callie. Can I call you Callie?”

“Not if you call me easy!” Callie laughed and smacked him on the arm. No wonder her alternate self was fond of him. He wasn’t without charm. “So, who’s your guess?”

“Oh, it’s not a guess. I know for sure… it’s…” Mark paused for effect. “Jackson Avery.”

“What!” Callie burst out laughing. “Oh my god, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

“I can’t be… he is the best looking dude at that hospital, besides me… and I don’t’ count. He has sparkle.”

“Well, maybe he does, but I’m not into sparkly men,” Callie chuckled. “It sounds like you are, though.” She smiled. “First Karev and now Avery?”

“I’m secure in myself, you won’t scandalize me with your implications,” Mark said. He looked at her seriously again. “You have a really great smile, Callie.”

“Thanks, Sloan. I’m still not sleeping with you.” Callie said. She put her hand on his arm, “But _,_ you can buy me that drink… even though you’ll never figure out who I’m interested in.”

They sat and drank and chatted for the better part of an hour, in between Mark’s wrong guesses, Callie talked about Owen and Mark finally broke down and filled Callie in on Addison.

About nine months ago Addison attended a medical conference in which she met a fellow obstetrician/gynecologist named Jake Reilly. They hit it off… really hit it off, and Addison ended up pregnant. By coincidence or fate, Jake ended up working at the private practice of one of Mark, Derek, and Addison’s former med school buddies. Addison was currently in LA breaking the news to him that he was about to be a father.

Mark told Callie that he was almost positive that Addison would move to LA in the near future. Depending on how things went with Jake, she’d maybe even stay down there until she delivered. Callie was disappointed at the possibility of losing her friend, but she of all people knew what it was like to be in a loveless marriage. She was all for Addison finding whatever happiness she could. She’d be a hypocrite to believe otherwise.

The conversation finally circled back around to who Callie was interested in, when the door to the entrance burst open and laughter filled the formerly subdued bar. Callie and Mark both turned to see who was coming through.

Arizona Robbins and three other women came stumbling in, laughing and heading straight for a table by the dartboards. Callie couldn’t keep the smile off of her face. Her eyes tracked Arizona as she left the others and went toward the restrooms in the rear of the bar.

“Ah ha,” Mark chuckled.

“What ‘ah ha’?” Callie said. “There is no ‘ah ha’ to be had.”

“Right. My thinking was too limited, I should have known better. You should go talk to her,” Mark pointed his beer in the direction of the bathrooms. “She’s hot… and alone right now.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Please, you’ve shot down every male doctor I suggested. Then she walks in and your smile lights up like… something really bright.” He shook his head, “Wow… I think I’ve had too much to drink.”

“Yeah, well so have I. It’s why I can’t go talk to her now… I’ll say something dumb. I know me.”

“It’s why you should corner her in the bathroom… ask her to have a drink. Make use of the liquid courage,” Mark said. He glanced back toward the bathrooms, “Oops, too late, she’s back... Oh… she’s coming this way. Be cool.”

Callie tried to duck behind Mark, but Arizona had seen her and was walking toward them at the bar. “Crap… crap…. Oh crap.” Callie freaked out.

Arizona walked directly up to Mark and held out her hand. “We haven’t met… I’m Arizona Robbins, Peds surgery.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Arizona Robbins, Peds surgery,” he took her outstretched hand and shook. “I’m Mark Sloan, plastics.”

Arizona stood on her tip-toes and tried to look over Mark’s shoulder, “Is that uh… Dr. Torres behind you?”

Callie’s head peeked up over Mark’s shoulder, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Arizona replied. “I… uh. I wanted to apologize for today. In the lunch room? Sam was being a real…”

“Asshat?” Callie supplied as she stepped out from her hiding spot behind Mark.

“Yeah,” Arizona laughed. “I’m sorry… that was uncalled for… and I told her as much.”

“It’s okay… she was kind of right.”

“No, Callie… she wasn’t. You aren’t a psycho… I swear I never said any such thing. Please forgive me?”

“It’s fine, Dr. Robbins…” Callie smiled. “There’s really nothing to forgive.”

“But there is though, she was rude. I don’t like rude…”

Mark nudged Callie in the ribs. “Hey… uh, how about you make it up to me by having a drink with me tonight?”

“I wish I could, but I’m with someone,” Arizona pointed over to the table with the other women she came in with.

Callie’s face fell, “Oh.”

“How about you find me tomorrow, though… and we can do lunch? Maybe talk about your divorce if you need to?”

“That would be perfect.”

“Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Arizona smiled at Callie. “I’d better get back.” She slowly backed away from Mark and Callie until she bumped into an empty table. “Oops.” She laughed, and with one last wave turned and walked back to her friends.

Callie released the breath she’d been holding, practically since Arizona had walked up. “Oh god,” she breathed. “That was so scary.”

“You did great, Torres,” Mark patted her on the back. “Nothing overly embarrassing.”

“Really?”

“Really. You want me to call you a cab? You shouldn’t drink anymore tonight, you don’t want to be too hung-over to enjoy your lunch tomorrow.”

“Right, thanks,” Callie said. “You aren’t half bad, Mark Sloan.”

“You only think that because you don’t know me that well, Callie Torres.”

“Well, I’m going to hug you anyway,” Callie replied.

Arizona chanced a look back toward Dr. Torres, her smile faded at the sight of Callie hugging Dr. Sloan. They pulled apart quickly, but Arizona was even more disappointed to see him pay the tab, then the two leave the bar together.


	7. Chapter 7

Despite being child free, Callie woke early the morning after drinks at Joe’s with her surprising new… friend? No, she wouldn’t go so far as to call Mark Sloan and herself friends, not after one conversation, but ‘friendly’ worked. She could be friendly with the man, nothing more… she didn’t want to accidently get knocked-up. As much as she loved the little girl she met in the alternate universe, or how much she believed that alternate her and alternate Mark and alternate Arizona had the situation all figured out, she didn’t want to ruin her new start. _Friendly_ is all her and this Mark Sloan would ever be.

Callie was up and extremely excited because today she was having lunch with Dr. Arizona Robbins… her _soulmate_. A sandwich with a side of destiny, a fate salad, and an ice cold glass of meant-to-be tea. Oh yes, it was going to be a good day… she could feel it.

She spent extra time that morning getting her hair and make-up perfect. There was a fine line between diligent effort and trying too hard and she was walking it like a tightrope artist. Callie couldn’t believe how much work she had to put into getting her whole ensemble to look effortless, but it paid off. She looked hot, but not too hot. She was polished and professional, but not like she was headed to a job interview, and her face was flawless.

Callie knew she looked good and Dr. Robbins would certainly appreciate her appearance. Now all she had to do was not make a fool of herself by saying something stupid. Her game plan was simple, just relax, have a nice lunch, ask Dr. Robbins out on a real date. She hoped keeping it straightforward and uncomplicated would lead to less embarrassing awkwardness. She needed to make her intentions clear so there were no misunderstandings. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind about the attraction being mutual and she was sure that once she let Dr. Robbins know she was interested that interest would be reciprocated.

It was going to be a good day.

***

She arrived at the hospital looking fine and radiating confidence. Chief Grey didn’t have a staff meeting scheduled that morning, so she’d have to track down Dr. Robbins to confirm their lunch date. She wanted to do that first thing, before she had to change into scrubs and stuff her meticulously styled hair into a scrub cap. She wanted Arizona to see her, appreciate her effort.

The first place she headed was the coffee cart in the lobby, she knew from her year of _not stalking_ that Dr. Robbins loved her morning coffee, but a quick scan of the area yielded no sign of the pediatric surgeon. Callie decided to grab them both a coffee then head up to third floor pediatric wing to seek Arizona’s whereabouts.

Coffee in hand she headed toward the elevator.

“Looking good, Torres,” a now familiar voice said. “That extra coffee for me?”

“Go away, Sloan,” Callie replied. “I’m on a mission.”

“I can see that,” Mark chuckled. He looked her up and down. “I’d say good luck, but you won’t need it. Not with that dress.” Callie beamed at the compliment. “By the way,” he added, “I just saw her in the surgical attending’s lounge. She was finishing up some charts before she stared rounds. If you hurry, I bet you can catch her.”

“Thanks, Mark,” Callie smiled. “Really.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied. Mark turned to leave, but as he did he said over his shoulder, “Be sure to send me an invite to the wedding.”

***

Callie cursed the elevator for being slow, then thanked it when it finally arrived at her destination. The attending’s lounge on the surgical floor was just past the central nurses’ station and down the east wing corridor. Callie moved swiftly down the hall toward the small room, when she notice the long silky blonde hair of the object of her search further down the long corridor about to turn into the stairwell.

Callie picked up her pace to try and catch the blonde before she got too far away, but just as Arizona entered the stairwell the door to the lounge flew open and smacked Callie right in the face, knocking her to the ground and spilling coffee everywhere.

“Oh my god! Callie are you okay?” Owen, the door opening culprit, shouted. “Callie? Callie! Look at me. Are you okay?”

Callie reached up and touched her nose causing pain to shoot straight through to the back her skull. She pulled her hand away and it was covered with blood.

“Ow,” she said, then everything went black.

***

Arizona had waited around in the attending’s lounge for as long as she could. She’d been hoping Callie would show up and they could discuss their lunch plans, but she couldn’t bring herself to stick around after Callie’s soon to be ex-husband entered the lounge to grab some coffee. Not that she had any actual problems with Dr. Hunt, but she’d been kind of secretly admiring his wife for a while now, so interacting with the brunette while the ex was in the room wasn’t something she cared to do. She knew she shouldn’t have been thinking about her colleague that way, but she couldn’t help it. Dr. Torres was hot, _extremely hot_ , and even though she’d been off-limits for duration of their acquaintance, Arizona had noticed Callie’s hotness. How could she not?

She’d spent many a day thinking about how Owen Hunt didn’t deserves someone like Callie Torres, but it wasn’t her place to say anything… she and Callie weren’t even friends. Yeah, she definitely couldn’t be in the room with Owen _and_ an available Callie. She would just have to find Dr. Torres later. She could work her charms when they were alone. Arizona was aware she was being presumptuous thinking she had a shot with the beautiful heart surgeon. As far as everyone in the hospital knew, Callie was a straight as they come, but Arizona had her suspicions. Even if Callie was completely straight, Arizona couldn’t resist the temptation. She felt too much potential when they were together, so she had to try. Someone like Dr. Torres wouldn’t be single for long. It had only been a week and already Mark Sloan was sniffing about, it wouldn’t be long before he had company.

Arizona wasn’t really worried about Mark, _yet_. She didn’t know what was going on between Callie and him, but she was sure it wasn’t to the point of sex thus far. Evidence being: after walking Callie out of Joe’s last night, Mark had returned almost immediately. So, either he finished shamefully fast or they didn’t sneak off for a sexual encounter.

She was confident and she looked good, now all Arizona needed to do was find Dr. Torres to confirm their lunch.

***

“I can’t believe this is happening!” Callie said. Her head titled back and she was holding an ice pack to it.

“It wasn't a great nose anyway,” Mark said. They were in the ER, in a private trauma room. He teased her while he prepared some local anesthetic.

“Yes, it was. What?” Callie whined. She removed the ice pack, revealing a swollen bloody nose, stuffed with gauze. “It was a nice nose.”

“Relax,” Mark replied. “I was kidding. It was a gorgeous nose ...” He ripped out the gauze and caused Callie to whimper, “And it will be again. Two weeks from now, you won't even be able to tell anything happened.” He lifted her head and turned it back and forth to get a better look at the broken mess.

“Really?”

“Mm, three weeks. Four tops.”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t even know me.” He took the syringe and stuck it directly into her nostril.

“Ow,” Callie whined

“Little pinch,” Mark reassured as he continued the injection.

“Ow, ow, ow. Ow. Ow,” Callie cried.

“Oh, come on. That didn't hurt.” Mark pulled away.

“Yeah, well, maybe if I was having a good year, it would feel like just a little pinch. But it hurts, Dr. Sloan. It hurts a lot. Ow. Things were supposed to start looking up, you know? I took a big step, life owes me a solid. I’ve paid my dues… Haven’t I? I was supposed to have lunch with Dr. Robbins today.”

“You know what?” He stepped back from his whining patient. “I was gonna do this with some local, But I think we'll use conscious sedation, That way, when you wake up, your nose will be fixed, And it'll feel like whole new day.”

“Okay, well, at least I'll still have you, right?” Callie said. “You'll still be my sort of new friend who occasionally tries to have sex with me? Even though I will _always_ turn you down?”

“Anytime. It’d be an honor to be your ego boost,” Mark replied. “You know, once your face heals.”

“Never mind,” Callie said. “I hate you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

***

Arizona finished her rounds, with no sign of Dr. Torres anywhere. She thought for sure the woman would have found her by now. She didn’t think Callie would cancel her their lunch, but maybe she’d gotten pulled into an emergency surgery? She decided to head down to the surgical floor to see if Torres was on the board.

When she arrived at the surgical floor she headed straight to the desk in front of the surgical board. A couple of nurses were whispering and she thought she caught the name Torres, so she grabbed a chart and pretended to read.

“I heard they were getting a divorce,” one said. “But I can’t believe he’d do that.”

Arizona’s brow furrowed. Do what? She wanted to ask, but she generally stayed clear of the gossip circuit. That way lied trouble.

“I believe it, he gives me the creeps,” the second nurse said. “I was actually there when he hit that intern… and did you not hear about the shattered window a few weeks ago?”

“Yeah, I guess you are right,” the first one replied. “Poor Dr. Torres… and all those kids they have. It’s a shame.”

Arizona had heard enough to pique her interest, she needed details, “I’m sorry… I hate to interrupt, but what’s happening with Dr. Torres?”

“Um…” the first nurse hesitated and looked to the second nurse.

“We probably shouldn’t say,” the second nurse replied. “It’s a privacy issue.”

“Are you kidding me right now? You two were sitting here gossiping about it… how is that private?”

“We both know because we had to take her off the surgical board for the day… reschedule and reassign all of her surgeries.”

“Just, tell me what happened,” Arizona insisted. “I’m supposed to have lunch with her today!”

“Okay, fine…” the first nurse conceded. “All we know is that she is in a procedure room with Dr. Sloan… under sedation, while he fixes her broken nose.”

“ _And_ that her broken nose was caused by her husband,” the second nurse added.

“Soon to be ex-husband,” the first corrected.

Though her expression hadn’t changed, Arizona was both extremely worried and extremely pissed-off. She didn’t know who to go find first…. Callie, to see if she was okay, or Owen… to punch him herself.

“What procedure room is Dr. Torres in?” Arizona calmly asked, through gritted teeth.

The first nurse turned to the computer and started typing, “Let me see… hmm, oh, here it is… under the name Calliope? Is that what Callie’s short for? I didn’t know that… it’s kinda funny…”

“Yes, Callie is short for Calliope, it’s a beautiful name… now tell me where she is,” Arizona was getting impatient.

“It looks like she’s almost finished and is scheduled to be in recovery room 213. She’ll probably still be a little…”

Arizona took off before the nurse could even finish her sentence.

“… loopy,” she looked around. “Where did Dr. Robbins go?” she asked.

“I have no idea… surgeons are so weird.”

***

Arizona stormed through the Pit with only one thing on her mind. Callie was hurt and Owen needed to explain himself. She didn’t ask herself why she felt so protective over her colleague. They weren’t even actual friends yet, they were just starting to cultivate that relationship, she honestly had no right to want to defend Dr. Torres, but here she was raging toward the intense ginger as he filled out some paperwork.

“Dr. Hunt,” she yelled.

“Oh, hello, Dr. Robbins. What are you doing down here? I didn’t know we had any ped’s cases… were you paged?”

She tried to calm her breathing, but she was so mad, “Did you break Calliope’s nose?”

“Oh.” Owen sighed, “You heard about that?”

“Yeah, I did… and I didn’t want to believe it, but… what the hell, Dr. Hunt?” Arizona was incensed. She couldn’t believe Owen could be so cavalier about breaking his wife’s nose. What kind of man was he? Her tiny hand involuntarily formed a fist.

“It just happened,” Owen defended. “I didn’t even know…” he started, but was stopped by a surprisingly hard left hook. “Hey!” He grabbed his face.

“Ow… oh ow, ow, ow!” Arizona was hugging her left hand tight to her chest. “I think I broke my finger!”

April, having witnessed the whole scene from behind the ER desk, came running over to intervene.

“What’s going on?” She frantically asked.

“I don’t really know,” Owen replied. “Robbins here just punched me in the eye.”

“You deserve worse for hitting your wife,” She spat. “You should be in jail!”

Owen’s eye was starting to swell, but he still managed to look surprised. “Hit my wife? I didn’t… I don’t understand… Oh! Her nose? She ran into a door! It was just a coincidence that I was on the other side of the door. I would never intentionally hit her…”

“Oh,” Arizona’s anger immediately dissipated. She was still cradling her hand. “I’m uh… so sorry, Dr. Hunt. I thought… I mean those nurses said… I’m just… I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Your hand may be small, but you sure pack a punch,” he touched his face tenderly. “I think I’ll be fine, though.”

“I’m the daughter of a marine, so I was taught to hit. As a child I was taught to hit fast and hit hard so you only have to hit once…” She tried to move her hand, but she winced in pain. “Apparently I missed the part about protecting my own hand…”

Everyone in the Pit was now staring at the two doctors, rumors already forming. April decided to diffuse the situation by removing Dr. Robbins from the area.

“Dr. Robbins, we should get that x-rayed,” she said. “Let’s go…” April led the embarrassed surgeon off toward x-ray.

***

April took Arizona to radiology, she sent the tech away and took the films herself. The x-ray revealed a fracture of the proximal phalanx of the small finger on her left hand. A simple splint would do, but setting it would be painful. Plus, she would be out of surgery for at least a month.

“Do you want me to call Dr. Wylie to do this? I know you are friends with her, I’ve seen you lunch together.”

“No! Absolutely not… I’m mad at her too,” Arizona said. “It doesn’t need surgery, right?”

“No, just a splint, but it’ll hurt getting it back in place. Can I ask what happened back there?” April inquired.

“I don’t know… “Arizona sighed. “I know you’ve heard the same rumors about Dr. Hunt’s violent tendencies as I have. I mean, it’s all over the hospital… and then when I heard he broke Dr. Torres’ nose… I just lost it. I thought he… I thought her _hurt_ her, Kepner,” she paused. “Calliope doesn’t deserve that, you know? She’s devoted and kind… she deserves better.”

“You are a good friend, Dr. Robbins,” April smiled. “How about we do this under conscious sedation? Save you some pain. When you wake up, you can head on home.”

“Thank you, April.”

***

When Arizona finally became aware of her surroundings again she was in a recovery room. She looked to her left and realized she must be in recovery room 213, because Dr. Torres was dozing lightly in the bed next to her.

Arizona was mortified by what she’d done. How could she possibly to explain to Callie that she broke her finger by mistakenly defending her against her husband who hadn’t actually done anything wrong? She was so embarrassed, she needed to escape. But before she could even get the blanket off, the door to the recovery room burst open. Callie to jumped awake and then moaned in pain. She reached for her head to steady it.

Ellis Grey strode boldly into the room, followed by a somewhat cowered Owen Hunt.

“Are you both awake?” the stern older woman asked.

“Um, yes mam,” Arizona replied. Ellis reminded her of her father, she was so intimidating. All this worrying about how to tell Callie, Arizona had completely forgotten she’d have to explain this to the Chief.

Callie sat up carefully, “I’m awake… I think. What… what’s going on?” She turned and looked at Arizona. “What happened to you?” and then back at Owen whose eye was starting to bruise, “and you?”

“That’s exactly what I’d like to know, Dr. Torres.”

“I got hit by a door,” Callie said. “That’s all I remember. I have no idea what is up with these two.”

Owen just stood there silent, so Callie and Ellis both turned to Arizona for an explanation.

“Would you accept that it was just a series of unfortunate events? A, uh… simple misunderstanding?” She asked. When no one responded she added, “Dr. Hunt and I are good, right? No hard feelings?”

Owen finally found his voice, “Dr. Robbins is completely correct, Chief Grey. It’s all good. We’re good. It… was an accident.”

“Hmm, well I’m out two surgeons for who knows how long!” Ellis fumed. “Any more accidents in this hospital and we’ll be out of surgeons.”

“Wait,” Callie said. “I’m confused.”

“It’s because you have a concussion, Torres,” Ellis said. “Your _husband_ will fill you in, I have work to do.” And just like that, she was gone. Leaving the three injured parties alone.

“Someone please tell me what’s happening,” Callie said. “Arizona? Are you okay? Your hand… What happened?”

“She’s a good friend to you is what happened,” Owen said. “She thought I broke your nose, so she came to your defense. Got me good.” He turned his head so that Callie could better see his eye.

“You did that for me?” Callie asked. Her heart rate increased. It made her dizzy, she was glad she was already lying down.

Arizona lowered her head in embarrassment, “I would have done that for any friend.”

“Maybe, but you did it for me, no one else has even been in to check on me. I’m grateful.”

“Kepner asked about you,” Arizona smiled. “She said to tell you she’s working on a French accent… I’m not exactly sure what the means…”

Callie chuckled.

Owen stood back and watched. Callie’s face and nose were swollen, but he could tell she was taken with Dr. Robbins… and it seemed like the feelings were mutual. He should probably feel jealous, but he didn’t. Instead, he felt… let off the hook. He didn’t need to worry about Callie, she would be okay without him.

She didn’t need him. Which… gave him an idea. He cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the two women. “I’m sorry, Owen,” Callie said. “I forgot you were there.”

“I just wanted to tell you that you have to stay the night here, unless you have someone to monitor you.”

“Oh… that’s not necessary. I’m fine, really,” Callie whined. “I just want to go home.”

“You have a concussion, Callie. You can’t be alone,” Owen said. “I could stay with you tonight, but my mother has plans, so it would be all of us. I’m not sure how much rest you would get with the kids…”

“I could do it,” Arizona said tentatively.

“What?” Callie asked. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. I’ll… just stay here.”

“No, you should be where you are comfortable,” Arizona insisted. “I could come over and hang out, make sure you wake up every three hours. I can’t work anyway… we can take of each other. How does that sound?”

“It sounds great,” Callie smiled, “But I can’t ask you to do that. It’s too much…”

“Callie, I think it’s a good idea,” Owen interrupted. “You’ll feel so much better at home. Plus… the guest room is free.”

“Are you sure it won’t be a burden?” Callie asked Arizona.

“I promise, it’ll be fun… like a sleepover… of really clumsy injured people.”

“I’ll leave you two to talk it out,” Owen said. “And I’ll find someone to give you a ride. Kepner maybe?”

“Sounds good,” Callie smiled. Owen left the room make preparations for the two women to be discharged and to secure a ride with Dr. Kepner.

Once Owen had was gone, Callie looked back toward Arizona, “Are you sure you are okay with this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Arizona asked. “We are friends, right?”

“Are we?”

“I think we are,” Arizona said seriously, then she smiled, “I don’t just punch the soon-to-be ex-husbands of anyone.”

“Thank you again for defending my honor. Standing up to my supposed assailant, even though it wasn’t, you know… an intentional act.”

“Anytime,” Arizona said.

Callie reached up and touched her face again, she sighed, “Do I look a bad?”

“You look beautiful,” Arizona replied. “As always. Absolutely… beautiful.”


	8. Chapter 8

Arizona was in her office, gathering her stuff to go take care of Callie for the night. She was lost in her thoughts, thoughts of spending the night with the woman of her literal dreams. Not that she’d admit that to anyone, it was creepy dreaming about your married colleague, but she’d had her fair share of them. Not sex dreams either, dreams of a life together… doing mundane things. Grocery shopping, walks in the park, happy little stairwell kisses, and flashes of many other everyday things done together.  Even though she’d only met them on a few occasions, Callie’s three children were often in the dreams. But her absolute favorite, the dream she always awoke from with a longing she didn’t quite understand, contained another indistinct, almost fuzzy participant, a tiny infant with coal black hair. Just like Callie’s. It was just a dream, but Arizona knew without a doubt this was her child, she felt it in her soul. She didn’t know what it meant, if anything, but her subconscious was obviously telling her she was ready to get moving with her life, to stop living her solitary existence. She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the door open and someone enter.

“What happened to you?”

Arizona jumped. “Jesus, Sam. A little warning next time you sneak up on someone.”

“You were all up in your head, and it looked like happy thoughts, I didn’t want to interrupt,” Sam laughed. “What happened to you?” she pointed to Arizona’s splinted finger.

“I broke it.”

“You broke your finger?” Sam asked. “And you didn’t call me? Who set it?”

“Dr. Kepner,” Arizona replied. “She’s good, it’s fine.”

“She’s not an orthopedic surgeon, Arizona. You should have called me… why didn’t you?”

“You know why.”

“I really don’t.”

“If you don’t know, I’m not telling you,” Arizona snapped. “Figure it out.”

“Real mature,” Sam said. “I’m not playing this game, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s on you. No wonder your relationships don’t last… you have no idea how to communicate like an adult.”

“You are rude, Sam,” Arizona scoffed. “That’s what this is about. What you just said is rude and you were rude to Dr. Torres yesterday. You are the one who is playing games… telling her something I shared in confidence. One time I vented my frustrations to you about her. One time.”

“This is about Torres?” Sam suddenly realized. Arizona continued packing up her stuff with her one good hand. Sam shook her head, “Of course it is. She’s suddenly single-ish and now you don’t hate her anymore… Three weeks ago she made your blood boil, you said she was arrogant and pushy, now what… she’s no longer those things? Because she hot and single?”

“She’s more than arrogant and pushy. She’s also brilliant, and… yeah, I think she’s attractive.  I would like to get to know her beyond this hospital.”

“She’s straight, Arizona.”

“Maybe.”

“No, not maybe,” Sam insisted. “She’s married to a man and has a crapload of children, there is no maybe... She’s straight. You are wasting your time.”

“Well, it’s my time to waste then, isn’t it?” Arizona replied. “It’s not your business… and I’m done discussing Dr. Torres with you. My friendship with her is off limits, understand?”

“Fine,” Sam conceded. “But when whatever it is you are thinking about blows up in your face, don’t come crying to me about it.”

“Your terms are acceptable.”

“Don’t do this, Arizona,” Sam said sincerely. Her angry tone softened. “You’ll get hurt, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Thank you for your concern. Really… it’s sweet, but Dr. Torres isn’t going to hurt me because I’m not looking for love,” Arizona out-and-out lied. She just didn’t want to talk about what she was feeling with Sam, it was new and personal and just hers. “She’s hot and if she’s up for something… new? I’m her girl, but that’s it. I don’t like her in any way other than that.” Arizona spoke with a conviction she didn’t feel. She knew if Callie was interested… she was in trouble. Big time.

“So… you _aren’t_ interested in more than just another notch on your post Lauren, destructive string-of-one-nighters’ belt? You’ve done them all, right… goldstars, bisexuals, sliding scales… even a few gay for the days. Might as well put married to a man on that list.”

“I told you that name is off limits,” Arizona said through gritted teeth. “And you are way beyond the rude border right now, Sam. What I do with my life is not for you to judge. We’re friends and your concern is sweet, but you don’t get to have input into my life choices. You are crossing a line.”

“Yeah… well, it’s not like I have anything to lose. You don’t see me anyway,” She yelled. Neither said anything for a few moments until Sam whispered. “I could have loved you.”

“Sam… what?” Arizona said. She had suspected before that Dr. Wylie had feelings for her, but Arizona didn’t reciprocate, she tried to write Sam’s overtures off as simple flirting… denial was a powerful thing. “No. You don’t… we’re friends, not… ”

“Like I said, you don’t see me,” Sam turned to leave, she paused when she reached the door, “Have a nice life, Dr. Robbins,” she slammed the door shut behind her.

After the explosive ending to her relationship with she-who-shall-not-be-named, Arizona had used sex as a coping mechanism. She numbed herself with one night stands and short intense non-emotional hook-ups. Through all that, she needed a friend, someone she could trust, that had no expectations from her. Sam stepped in and filled that void nicely. Or so she thought.

Arizona sighed, “Well, crap….”

Apparently, Sam was just waiting for her to get it all out of her system… playing the long game, waiting for Arizona to finish with her promiscuous ways to make her move. She must have sensed that Arizona’s sleeping around was drawing to a close, that she wanted more, and Dr. Wylie’s instincts weren’t wrong. Arizona longed for an emotional connection, unfortunately for Sam, that longing was pointing her in one direction, and one direction only: Dr. Calliope Torres.

It shouldn’t make sense… How the fact that Callie was now single could so change Arizona’s outlook. How she could suddenly be so smitten, when she barely knew the woman. How that simple change in Callie’s marital status had awoken a sleeping giant… a giant that wanted to love and be loved. None of it would make sense to an outside observer, but Arizona didn’t care what others thought. It was what it was.

Arizona just wanted to feel, and for better or for worse, Calliope Torres stirred up something long dormant. She felt a potential… a sense of anticipation, something she couldn’t quite define. Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to pass it up for anyone.

She just hoped Callie was capable of reciprocating.

***

April Kepner chattered on and on from the driver’s seat of her small car. She really liked to talk. Callie was listening with a lot more attention than Arizona could muster. Callie must be used to it. Maybe being a mother made her immune to babble? Either that or Callie was on a higher dose of pain medication than she was on.

From her position in the back seat, Arizona could ignore most of the conversation, which at some point had turned to livestock. She figured April’s sudden need to regale them with every detail of her life, was because she was on the outs with most of the other residents. It was just part of the fall-out from the unfortunate incident between her and Karev and Webber last month. Meredith and Cristina were becoming closer, and neither had much to do with poor April anymore. Karev had been coming to peds more and more in an effort to avoid everyone.

At first Arizona was pissed that Karev would use her that way, but lately she’d been enjoying his company _and_ he seemed to have and affinity for working with children... so much so, that she asked Ellis to keep him on her service until further notice. She wanted to evaluate his potential for pediatrics. The chief had agreed without much resistance, Grey was happy to have him away from general surgery _and_ her daughter. After what he’d done, he didn’t have much choice. Arizona would happily offer him a refuge, as long as he followed her rules. He was in no position to turn her down, so Arizona had a shiny new protégé to mold. If things worked out, she hoped to have him ready to compete for the peds fellowship in time for their boards, which were just a few short months away.

Now, with her injury, she was grateful to have him, he’d need to be her hands for the next few weeks at least. Arizona hoped she’d be healed and back in surgical shape before the conjoined twin surgery. That surgery was her baby, she wasn’t going to have anyone else do it for her. She’d just have to do everything she can to rehab her finger faster. She looked down at her broken finger and sighed. It was a stupid impetuous move on her part, one that may end up being a whole lot more trouble than she’d anticipated, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. Callie seemed to invoke strong reactions from her… good, bad, and everything in between. Callie made her feel, and she loved that. The numbness caused by Lauren’s betrayal finally seemed to be behind her.

“Kepner,” Callie eventually spoke, interrupting Arizona’s inner musings. “Remember that conversation we had the other day about your voice?”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” April turned and looked at Callie, then quickly back to the road. “Am I giving you a headache again?”

“No. No… my broken nose and concussion are giving me headache, you’re just intensifying it a bit. As much as I enjoy talking about pigs, how about we just play the quiet game for the rest of the ride home?” Callie looked back at Arizona and winked, the simple plaster nose cast barely hindering her movement.

They enjoyed relative silence for the remainder of the trip, April only speaking to ask for clarification on directions and to ask if they needed to stop by Arizona’s to pick anything up. To which Arizona declined, she kept an extra set of clothes at the hospital and would be returning to her own home in the morning anyway.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Callie turned in her seat to speak directly to Arizona. “You really don’t have to do this, I’m fine. They did a head CT and there were no bleeds. It’s just a minor concussion. No big deal.”

“Dr. Hunt said you were unconscious for almost two whole minutes, that’s anything but minor,” April interrupted.

Callie tried to scowl in return, but it hurt her face too much.

“It’s okay, I really don’t mind,” Arizona said. “You need someone to wake you and I’m happy to do it.”

“I’ll set my alarm for every three hours,” Callie countered.

“And if you can’t wake, that helps you how?”

“She’s got you there, Dr. Torres,” April said.

“But you are injured too,” Callie argued. “You should be at home, taking your own pain meds and resting comfortably in your own bed.”

“If you want, I can drive you home Dr. Robbins,” April offered. “And then come back and stay with you Dr. Torres.”

“NO!’ both women shouted at once.

“That won’t be necessary, Kepner,” Arizona said. “I made a promise and I’m following through. Now help me get her in the house, and then you can go.”

“Fine,” April conceded. “But I want it on the record that I offered.”

“Duly noted.”

April carried both women’s belongings into Callie and Owen’s house. She left their bags in the foyer area, Callie said she would put them away later.

“If you two are all set then, I guess I’ll get going…. oh, I almost forgot! I have a message for you from Dr. Sloan. He said not to mess up his perfect nose and that he was headed to LA for few weeks because Dr. Shepherd is having the baby there. He said that you can see a lesser plastic surgeon for follow up, but not to let them ruin his work,” April then turned to Arizona.  “He also said to tell you that he would be back in time for your practice runs on the twin surgery and that he was looking forward to working with you. Then he smiled and said he’d heard lots of things about you,” April’s face scrunched with uncertainty. “He kind of looked like he knew a secret.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? What sort of things…” Arizona questioned.

“Uh… I’m sure it’s nothing,” Callie interrupted. Eager to move herself and Arizona further inside. She was glad Dr. Sloan wasn’t here himself giving them the message, as Callie was sure he was talking about her practical confession of being in love with Dr. Robbins, “Just good work stuff. Everyone thinks so highly of you.”

“You didn’t last month on the artificial lung case,” Arizona teased.

“That’s not true,” Callie replied. “I’ve always thought very highly of you, that’s why it was so disappointing that you didn’t agree with me… because I was right.”

Arizona chuckled, “I guess you’ve got me there.”

The two women got lost in each other’s smiles for a moment.

April cleared her throat, “I’m going. You two have a good evening. Oh, Dr. Robbins will you be needing a ride in the morning?”

“No, I’ll catch a ride with someone… I won’t be going into work anyway. Thank you for bringing us…”

“Yes, Kepner,” Callie added. “Thanks for everything. You’re okay, you know? Don’t let the other residents get you down. You’re a good person, who got caught up in a bad situation. Things will work out for you, I promise.”

“Well, the only one that will speak to me anyway is Dr. Avery,” Kepner said. “He’s been sweet.”

“Sweet is good,” Callie replied. “And he does have amazing eyes.”

Arizona’s brow furrowed for a second, but quickly smoothed out when Callie turned her gaze back in her direction.

April made her way out the front door leaving the two women alone. Finally.

***

Callie made sure Arizona was comfortable in the kitchen and then excused herself to change her clothes. Arizona found a pizza menu on the kitchen island. She thought about placing an order, but didn’t know what Callie was in the mood for, or the address for delivery. She took the moment to look around, the kitchen was large and open with a modern feel and large center island. Exactly what she’d expect for a kitchen that serviced a large family.

Upon arrival Arizona had initially thought the house was rather small for a family of five, but once inside she realized the exterior had been deceiving. It was roomy and open on the main level, and though she’d yet to venture upstairs, she assumed it had at least four bedrooms as Callie had mentioned a spare.

She could hear Callie descending the stairs, apparently on her phone with one of the children as she was talking in a soft reassuring tone.

“Yes, sweetie I’m fine,” Callie nodded her head in greeting as she entered the kitchen and held her finger up to indicate she needed a minute. Arizona waved her off and picked the pizza menu back up and pretended to read.

“No, you can come home tomorrow… it’s Daddy night and Mommy needs to rest,” Callie said. “No… just…. tell Gav he can see my broken nose tomorrow. I know. I will, I promise. Yes… tell your grandmother there is a very nice doctor staying with me tonight, I’ll be fine.” Callie rolled her eyes, which made Arizona chuckle. “Okay, Allie… yes, I love you too. Give BoGo some kisses from me. Okay, night sweetie,” Callie finally pressed the button on the phone to end the call.

“Sorry about that,” Callie said. “Owen told the kids about my broken nose, and they were worried… and morbidly curious.” She noticed the menu in Arizona’s hand. “Are you hungry?”

“Absolutely,” Arizona said. “We kind of had to skip lunch today… I’m famished.”

“Me too, but is something other than pizza okay? I try to steer clear on kid free nights… don’t get me wrong, I love pizza, but not several-times-a-week love. BoGo would eat it every meal if I let them.”

Arizona tilted her head to the side a little and asked, “BoGo?”

“Oh… it’s…,” Callie hesitated. “Promise you won’t think I’m a bad mother?”

“Cross my heart,” Arizona replied.

“When I was getting my first ultrasound with the boys, before I knew I was carrying twins… Addison asked if I had been to a Buy One, Get One free sale…” Callie shook her head, “That was her twisted way of breaking the news. After that, it kind of became a thing. It’s my collective name for the boys. I’ve called them that since they were in utero.”

“I think it’s… a little bit disturbing, and they’ll definitely need therapy when they grow up…”

“What?”

“I’m teasing, Callie… it’s adorable,” Arizona said. “Just like them… all of your kids are adorable.”

“Thanks,” Callie smiled. “So… food?” She quickly asked before things could get awkward.

“Yes, please.”

***

They ended up ordering soup from Callie’s favorite deli, as neither were looking for something heavy with the pain meds they were on. Thankfully they delivered, and in no time the two were seated at the kitchen island enjoying their simple supper. They ate their meals in relative silence, occasionally making small talk about interesting cases and each shared a little hospital gossip.

Callie wanted to ask about Sam Wylie and Arizona’s mystery ex... And Arizona wanted to ask about Owen, the divorce, and what was going on with Callie and Mark Sloan, but both kept it to safer topics while dining.

Arizona finished first and pushed her bowl away with her good hand, “That was a really good idea. I haven’t had soup that good since I stumbled upon Pike’s Place Chowder when I first arrived in Seattle.”

“Yeah, I used to love Pike’s, but the line is always so long there, I’m all about in-and-out now. It’s a serious side effect of having children… lines lead to whines. It’s best for everyone involved to avoid them at all cost.”

“Kids or lines?” Arizona laughed.

“I love my kids, but don’t tempt me with that question,” Callie joked back. “Do you want go sit in the family room? Maybe watch some television? We aren’t due for pain medication for another hour or so, and I’m sure to be out quite quickly after that so…”

“I’d love to go watch some television with you, Calliope,” Arizona replied. “Were you thinking of anything in particular?”

“Not really… I’d be happy with anything but Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel.”

They cleared their dinner mess, disposing of the empty soup containers and rinsing then placing the bowls and utensils in the dishwasher. Callie grabbed their two icepacks from the freezer then lead Arizona to the family room. They both sat on the sofa facing the television, somewhat awkwardly.

Callie picked up the remote and the TV sprang to life, cartoons bouncing across the screen. She pressed the mute button, and turned to Arizona, “I’m sorry… I have no idea what to watch I’m not a big television person.”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to watch anything… if you want to read, or do whatever you normally do at this time. You don’t have to play the hostess to me. I’m here to watch over you, not for you to entertain.”

“How about…” Callie hesitated. “We just talk for a while, get to know each other away from the hospital?”

“I’d love to know more about you, so that sounds just about perfect.”

“Okay, then,” Callie said. “Uh… I’d offer you a glass of wine, but…”

“I get it,” Arizona replied. She smiled at Callie who blushed at the sight of dimples.

“This is… uh… suddenly awkward.”

“It doesn’t have to be, I like you Callie. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

“Do you?” Callie asked. “Like me, that is?”

“I do.”

“Then why haven’t we ever…” Callie tentatively asked. “You know, acted like friends?”

“Oh, uh… well you were married,” Arizona started.

“You can’t be friends with married people?”

“No, that’s not it at all,” Arizona replied. “You just… had your own thing going. You and Hunt were…”

“Separated when you first got here,” Callie said.

“I… wondered about that actually,” Arizona said. “I heard that you were married, then one night at Joe’s I saw…”

“Owen with another woman? Yeah, he was seeing a resident… well, sleeping with one, while we were separated,” Callie confessed. “We shouldn’t have reconciled… but if we hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the boys.”

“Sounds like, it was just another of life’s detours,” Arizona paused, “It doesn’t always go as we planned, does it?”

“No, it certainly doesn’t,” Callie wanted to bring up her trip to the alternate universe, without actually bringing up her trip to the alternate universe. “Do you ever… Uh, think about different lives? Alternate lives?”

“What do you mean?”

“Kind of like… if you had made a different choice at some point, done one thing differently… how your life would be altered?”

“I’m aware of the multiverse scientific theory. My brother is such a science nerd. He sends me scientific articles all the time and, if I remember correctly, he recently sent one about that very subject, but I’ve never really given it much thought beyond theory.”

“Well, you know more than I do then. I was thinking on more basic terms… like if Owen and I had never married… what would my life look like now? Or, if Ellis hadn’t convinced me to go into cardiothoracic surgery… what kind of surgeon would I be? I was leaning toward orthopedics, before she changed my mind.” Callie tried to share, without actually sharing what she knew from her short visit in the other place, when she realized something Arizona said. “Wait… did you say your brother?” Callie remembered her one night with the alternate Arizona. Cuddled safe in their bed, as Arizona shared the story of them, she spoke of Timothy and how he wanted to dance at her wedding. This was… different.

“Yes, my big brother… Timothy. He’s in the Marines, Camp Pendleton… he uh, lost his leg in combat in Afghanistan… I guess it was right before I came to Seattle,” Arizona replied.

“I’m so sorry,” Callie said. “That must have been hard for him.”

“He was devastated, naturally, but has made a full recovery,” Arizona smiled with pride. “He is actually back on active duty. He’s, um… amazing. He’s also my best friend.”

“He sounds amazing.” Callie smiled.

“I’m sorry we got sidetracked,” Arizona replied. “So… you were talking about making different choices?”

“Do you believe in destiny?”

“I do.”

“Do you think that you’ve had a defining moment?” Callie probed further. “A moment in your life that changed your course? Maybe a chance you didn’t take that could have altered your destiny?”

“Wow. Uh… deep stuff here tonight, Callie,” Arizona’s brow furrowed. She could think of two incidences that could have had major repercussions on her current existence.

That night in Joe’s, it wasn’t _Owen_ that Arizona saw… it was _Callie_. She was sitting at the bar alone upset. Arizona hadn’t even officially met her yet, but she had admired her… thought she was beautiful. When Callie rose from her barstool and entered the restroom in tears, she had almost followed. Almost. But she didn’t, because she was dealing with her own demons at the time. That demon being her brother, and _his_ horrible accident. She’s often wondered what would have happened if she’d followed Callie into that dirty bar bathroom. Would they have hooked-up? One and done, or would Callie have not reconciled with Owen? Could they have been together all this time? Saving Arizona from Lauren and several years of numbness, but costing Callie her boys?

And the other thing… if she’d just not chickened-out on sending in that Carter Madison grant proposal… she’d be in Africa now, living her dream of saving children. Instead, her thieving ex is living her dream. Lauren submitted her proposal behind her back, she said she did if _for_ Arizona, to prove to her that she was capable winning… But changing the name on the submission and subsequently taking the credit had put a little damper on Arizona’s joy.

Arizona wasn’t ready to share any of that with Callie, not yet. Maybe they’d become something and Arizona would feel safe sharing this stuff, but for now, she deflected. “I was thinking I would find out where you grew up, maybe your favorite movie… or restaurant, but alternate universes and destiny… roads not taken? Those are at least third date questions.”

“Date?” Callie’s head shot up. She was caught off guard at the quickness with which the word date had entered their conversation. Not that she didn’t want a date, or been thinking constantly about it, that _was_ her goal… but she thought she would have some time to facilitate a more natural progression. She knew what she wanted, but what would Arizona think of her, moving on from her husband so soon?

“Uh… um, I didn’t mean… not that I wouldn’t…” Arizona stuttered. She was peeved with herself at her slip up. She wanted to ask Callie out, for sure, but she wanted to ease into it. Put out some feelers first, maybe wait until Callie wasn’t concussed. When she could be sure that what she was saying was matching what she was feeling.

“Arizona, it’s okay,” Callie replied. “I’m… teasing you. This isn’t… no there’s no date…”

The panic on Arizona’s face left and in its place something closer to disappointment took over. Her gaze dropped to the ice pack on her hand and she pretended to adjust it.

Callie realized something right then and there… she never wanted to cause a look of disappointment on that beautiful face, ever again. She swallowed her nerves, this was her moment… she should just… ask Arizona out right now.

“Arizona,” Callie whispered. Arizona looked up and into Callie’s eyes.

“Hmm?”

“I just got separated,” Callie swallowed. “And… things are moving quickly, but…”

“You’re not ready,” Arizona inferred. “I get it.”

“No… it’s not that, I’m more than ready to move on… Owen and I haven’t been… it’s been more than a year since I’ve had sex… and our marriage was over, even before that. Trust me, I’m ready. I just… I don’t want a rebound, I don’t want something meaningless.”

“I don’t either,” Arizona ventured, hopeful.

“I also don’t want to have a broken nose and two black eyes,” Callie added. “So in a few weeks… when I’m healed and I don’t look like prize fighter?”

“You are beautiful,” Arizona smiled. “And people will be lining up for you.”

“You wanna give me some names?” Callie teased back.

“I think you’ll know.” Arizona winked. She thought about leaning in for a kiss, but just as quickly dismissed the idea. They’d established interest… that was good enough for now. “So… tell me more about these alternate universes…”

They spent the rest of the hour making up wild scenarios for the different lives of everyone they worked with. Some of Callie’s fake situations were… not so fake. They were actually experienced firsthand, but Arizona didn’t need to know that.

Finally, after taking their pain medication, Callie showed Arizona to the spare room and also pointed out where she’d be sleeping. Arizona set her alarm for three hours so she could get up to wake Callie. She would need to check to make sure the brunette could be easily awakened and wasn’t exhibiting symptoms of a deteriorating condition.

As she laid in the bed in Callie’s spare room, she couldn’t help but smile. Tonight she would sleep with several things running through her mind: destiny, fate, and a whole lot of hope. 


	9. Chapter 9

The night went by quickly, as they always do when sleeping. Arizona was able to rouse Callie without any problems. Her safety assured, Arizona left early the following morning so as not to overstay her welcome. They exchanged mobile phone numbers and once again promised lunch. Callie needed a week before she could come back to work due to the concussion, and Arizona was only taking a few days away from the hospital, then she was returning, but on limited duty. No surgeries, just consults and teaching until her finger was healed.

Callie promised herself she’d wait a few days before texting Arizona… she lasted until the afternoon of the third day.

‘ _Hello. How’s that finger feeling? Is it ready for some action?’_ Callie hit send. She read back what she had typed, her face turned red. Dammit. She threw her phone on the sofa, embarrassed at the unintentional dirtiness of that text. Why had she let herself send that?

_‘My finger is fine. How is your nose? Is your head feeling better?’_

Callie picked her phone back up and read Arizona’s response.She smiled and pushed past her embarrassment. Thankfully Arizona had ignored the awkward innuendo. _‘It is. I got the cast off my nose yesterday, and the bruising isn’t quite as bad as I expected.’_ Her fingers flew across the tiny touchscreen. _‘And these pain pills are fantastic.’_

_‘Right? I barely feel any pain. How are doing other than your head? Having fun with your time off?’_

_‘I’m bored. No kids, no work… I can’t really do anything. Not supposed to drive until after my neuro follow-up. I’m going stir crazy.’_

_‘I’m at the hospital now, picking up some research. I’m all finished though…”_

Callie’s phone indicated that Arizona as still typing, so she waited, impatiently, for the rest of the sentence.

 _‘I could swing by, pick you up. Maybe take you out for lunch?’_ Callie smiled at Arizona’s response. ‘ _Not a date or anything, just a friendly lunch. ;-)’_ Came another quick reply.

_‘Oh my, I would LOVE that. But, you’ve done too much for me already. Plus, I’m not sure about being seen in a restaurant looking like a raccoon.’_

_‘Don’t you worry about that, you always look great. But I’ll think of something. Ok?’_

_‘Ok.’_ Callie responded. ‘ _I’ll do it.’_ She didn’t want to sound too eager. _‘But take your time. Don’t rush on my account.’_

_‘I’m finished here anyway. See you soon.’_

Callie smiled, thinking the conversation went well and she didn’t humiliate herself too much. Then her phone buzzed again. She looked down at the phone in her hand and chuckled.

_‘BTW, my finger is always ready for action.’_

So much for avoiding embarrassment.

***

Callie quickly shook off the embarrassment and ran upstairs to make herself look as presentable as possible considering she had hints of purple under both her eyes. The discoloring wasn’t as bad as she was expecting and the swelling had diminished in the few days since she’d last seen Arizona. The cast was off and in its place was a simple bandage, just a small bit of support to keep the fractured bone from slipping. She figured she looked as well as could be expected under the circumstances.

She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and applied a bit of gloss to her lips. Make-up was pointless. Covering her bruises wouldn’t fool anyone, so natural would have to do. She was wearing a simple grey V-neck t-shirt and some black yoga pants. She looked in her full length mirror and decided the shirt was fine, but removed the yoga pants and changed into a comfortable pair of well-worn jeans. It was early spring, and rather nice, but the weather still called for some outerwear. She was going to grab a basic casual sweater, but something in the back of the closet caught her eye. Something she hadn’t put on for years… her black leather jacket.

“Oh yes,” Callie spoke aloud to herself. “This will do.” She slid her arms into the familiar, well-worn coat. She pulled the lapels toward her nose and tried to take a whiff of the once ever present smell of the leather. Unfortunately, her nose was still not functioning to capacity, so the affect was somewhat subdued, but she knew that perfect leather smell was there and that made her happy.

***

Callie was pacing back and forth in her foyer, waiting for Arizona to arrive. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, causing her to jump. She pulled it out and answered without looking at the caller id, assuming it was Arizona letting her know she had arrived.

“Hey, are you here?” Callie asked.

“No, I’m in LA… _giving birth_.”

“What?!” Callie exclaimed. “Wait… Addison? Is that you?”

“Of course it is, who else do you know that’s as pregnant as I was… am? Soon to not be?”

“You’re in labor right now?” Callie asked. “How are you so calm?”

“Drugs,” Addison sighed. “They induced me this morning. Finally, because I’m three weeks overdue.”

“And you just… paused contractions to call me?”

“I’m in between, we have a solid five minutes to talk. Plus, I’m taking narcotics… can’t really feel a thing. Screw that natural birth stuff. I’ve seen too much, delivered too many.”

“Preaching to choir, Addie. You forget I’ve popped out three myself?”

“No, no… how could I forget that? I delivered them for you.”

“I believe I did most of the work,” Callie countered.

“Yeah, yeah…  Mark said you broke your nose? And Dr. Robbins punched Owen. What the hell is going on in Seattle? I knew that place would fall apart without me.”

“Addison… you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Callie said. “I’ve been trying to call you for over a week. Owen and I are divorcing.”

“I heard… Mark again, he loves his gossip.”

“Does that mean he told you…”

“That you have a burning desire for Dr. Robbins? Oh yeah… he told me. What’s the deal?”

“God, Addison it’s… crazy. I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s invading my every thought and fantasy. I… I feel like I’m Captain of the Starship Fantasize and my mission is to seek out a new life in the form of a hot dimpled perky blonde. I need help.”

“Callie,” Addison said. “Are you actually speaking the vagina monologues now?”

The doorbell rang before Callie could answer Addison. She opened it to find the gorgeous blonde she was currently talking about standing there… giant dimpled smile on her face, holding up her medical bag. She _really_ didn’t want to have this conversation with Arizona in earshot, but Addison was still talking. Callie would have to… improvise. She indicated with a raised finger that she’d just be a minute and waved the other woman into the house.

“I’m all for it, okay?” Addison said, worried that she’d offended Callie. “I think it’s fantastic. Is this… a new development?”

“No, I uh… picked it up years ago. I’m bi...” She glanced up at Arizona “lingual. I thought you knew I was… _bilingual_?” Not that this was something she wanted to hide from Arizona, she planned to discuss it with her soon, actually, but she didn’t want Arizona to know she was currently talking about her.

“I’ve only ever seen you date men, and… you know… you have husband, so no… I didn’t know that,” Addison replied.

“Well, just because you’ve never, uh… seen me speak the language, doesn’t mean I don’t.”

“Why are you talking in code?” Addison asked. “Are the kids there?”

“No, Dr. Robbins just got here… we’re about to head out for lunch.” Callie put her hand over the mouthpiece of her phone and whispered to the blonde. “It’s Addison, she’s in labor.”

“She’s in labor? Why is she questioning you about being bilingual?”

“Uh… it’s the drugs,” Callie replied, her hand slipping from the mouthpiece.

“What?” Addison said from the phone. “Drugs don’t make you gay Callie, you’re a doctor for God’s sake. You know this.”

“No, not me Addison… you.”

“I’m not gay,” Addison announced. “Or bilingual. Well… I did experiment with some French in college, but we never got past the rouler une pelle and a little heavy pelotage… I’m nowhere close to fluent…”

“Addison,” Callie firmly stated. “I need to hang up this phone right now,”

“Fine, but after I squeeze this baby out… I want details.”

“Of course I’ll give you details. Good luck with the baby, I’m sure everything will be fine,” Callie said. “And tell Mark hello from me. Call me later, okay?”

“Okay, Cal,” Addison said. “Enjoy your hot dimpled perky lunch.”

Callie hung up the phone without responding. She slipped it into her jacket pocket and turned to look at Arizona. “Hi,” She smiled.

“Hi,” Arizona replied. She held up her medical bag. “I have something for you.”

Callie lifted an eyebrow in question, “And what might that be?”

“A quick neuro evaluation, Shepherd said if you passed, you could drive again. So… where did you wanna?”

“The kitchen has the best light,” Callie eagerly responded. She took Arizona’s injured hand lightly in her own and led her to the kitchen.

***

Arizona’s breath caught in her throat when Callie took her hand. The brunette’s soft fingers gently brushed her palm. Arizona ran her eyes down the beautiful form in front of her. She had to close her eyes and a deep breath. _This woman_.

She followed the brunette to the kitchen and placed her medical bag on the island. She quickly got to work testing Callie’s balance, memory, and strength.

“You’re doing great,” Arizona said. “Just one more, and you’ll be free to do as you please. Drive at will… return to work even.” She pulled her penlight out of her bag and had Callie sit on the barstool.  Arizona moved her body close to the brunette’s, she reached up and brushed aside a piece of hair that had fallen in front of Callie’s eyes. She was so close, she could smell the clean sent of Callie’s soap, a hint of vanilla from the woman’s shampoo, and the leather from her jacket.

Callie swallowed hard at the proximity of the blonde, their faces were only inches apart, if she leaned forward just the slightest bit their lips would touch. She fought the urge.

Arizona used the light to check Callie’s pupillary reaction, they were equal and reactive, indicating normal neural function. She lowered the penlight and the two women just gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment. Callie looked as though she wanted to kiss her, and Arizona wanted her to, she _really_ did, but it was too soon. She cleared her throat and took a step back.

“All good,” she said. “You are free to take up your regular activities… within reason. I wouldn’t suggest any contact sports.”

“Damn, my tackle football league starts this weekend,” Callie said.

Arizona scrutinized Callie’s face for a second, “You’re kidding… right?”

“Of course I am, Arizona. I don’t play football…” Callie teased, “I kickbox. No… _hockey_.”

“Dr. Torres, stop yanking my chain,” Arizona instructed.

“But your chain is so adorable,” Callie said, “it’s hard not tweak it a little.” She reached out and gently pulled on a few strands of Arizona straight blonde hair.

“You just wait until I’m the one doing the tweaking,” Arizona replied. “Then we’ll see how much you like it.” She tilted her head and her eyebrows crept up in challenge.

“I look forward to it.”

***

Arizona’s car was pristine. Not a spot of dust, nor crumb of food to be found. No crushed cheerios or dried silly putty. Even when she was single, Callie wasn’t sure her car was ever this clean. She glanced up at Arizona adjusting the rearview mirror. God, she was beautiful. So, so beautiful.

Addison’s questions about her sexuality got Callie thinking. Did Arizona know for sure that Callie was interested in pursuing something more than friendship? Callie wasn’t necessarily closeted about her fluid sexuality, it just didn’t come up while she was married to Owen. He knew, of course. As did her sister and father. Though she’d never had a _serious_ long-term relationship with a woman, she did date one during med school long enough to bring home to meet her parents. She hadn’t really dated a woman since coming to Seattle, unless you counted a few sort-of-dates with Erica Hahn before she left town. Erica was nice and interesting, but nothing came of it. Then she met Owen and had been in a monogamous relationship ever since.

Had she made herself clear? Did Arizona know that she was also interested in women? Or did she just think that Callie was into…

“Do you like Dick’s, Callie?” Arizona interrupted Callie’s train of thought.

“What?”

“Dick’s? Do you like them?” Arizona asked again. “Because if you don’t… I’ll have to think of something else for us to do this afternoon.”

“What?”

“The burger place? You know… the drive-in diner? What did you think I was…?” Arizona’s face turned red as she realized what Callie thought she was talking about. “Oh. OH! No… I wasn’t asking…” She stuttered and fumbled. “I wouldn’t…”

“The diner… What…? Oh! Dick’s! I love Dick’s,” Callie finally understood what Arizona was asking. She started giggling like a twelve year old. “What about you, Dr. Robbins?” Callie’s giggle turned into cackle. “Do you like…” She couldn’t stop laughing, “I can’t…. I can’t even say it now.”

Arizona was laughing now too, her embarrassment fading and amusement taking over. “Well, there is no way in hell I’m saying that. And you can’t make me.”

Arizona’s refusal to say she liked Dick’s made Callie laugh so hard she snorted. “Ow!” she exclaimed. “Oh… that hurt my nose.”

***

After grabbing their burgers at Seattle’s famous Dick’s Drive-In restaurant, Arizona drove them to a small park that overlooked the city. They took their burgers and fries and found an empty bench with a perfect view of the city’s skyline.

“Thank you for getting me out of the house,” Callie said. She pulled her greasy burger out of the bag and took a bite. “Mmm. God, this is a really good… burger.”

“Yes, it is.” Arizona grabbed a fry from their shared pile. “I love… _these burgers_.” She pointed a fry at the giggling brunette. “I’m still not saying it.”

Callie chuckled. She licked her lips and decided she need to clear things up. Just get it out there, so they could start this thing without any confusion or misconceptions. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Arizona responded. “Anything.”

“What are we doing here?” She gestured between them.

“You aren’t going to trick me into saying ‘eating d. i. c. k. s.’, Callie.” Arizona spelled out the word she was avoiding. “I’m too smart for that. I grew up with an older brother.”

“No,” Callie smiled. “I’m not. I’m being serious. What… what are your intentions? Because I know mine… and I just want to be sure that we are both on the same page.”

“Ah,” Arizona sat her burger down and wiped her mouth with her napkin. She turned on the bench to face the nervous woman next to her. “I like you. A lot. I think you are stunning, Callie… and I really want to get to know you more.”

“Are we talking… get to know in a friendly manner or more of a girlfriendly manner?”

“It’s rather early to be throwing the word girlfriend about, but yeah… I’m talking in a more than friend capacity. Not that I wouldn’t be okay with just being your friend, if that’s what you want?”

“No! No, I just wanted… I wanted to be sure, you know? Because, I mean… I was… am... married… to a man.”

“I’m aware,” Arizona said. “But you are separated.”

“Yes, yes… of course,” Callie sighed. She wasn’t making herself clear. “How did you know I was…?” She paused. “That I’d be into dating a woman? I’ve been married to a man since you’ve known me.”

“I wasn’t sure,” Arizona said. “I’m still not one hundred percent confident, and that frightens me a little, but… I think you are worth the risk.”

“I had a girlfriend before, you know,” Callie said.

“I didn’t know,” Arizona replied. “But… you don’t have to defend yourself to me, Callie.”

“I just, I don’t want you to be ‘frightened’ by me,” Callie sighed. “I want you to know that I’m capable of having a relationship with a woman, I’m not… inexperienced. I’m out to my family. Well… my dad and sister know I’m… bisexual. Oh… and Uncle Berto.”

“I take it he’s…”

“The gay uncle? Yep.”

“What about your mother? You didn’t mention her. Does she know?”

“She did. I don’t think she took it seriously though. I think she thought it was a phase. At first, my father wasn’t for it all, but Mom was mostly silent… like she was waiting it out. Eventually, he came to accept it, but Mom still didn’t discuss it with me. I didn’t push because I wasn’t even with my girlfriend anymore so it didn’t matter.” Callie looked thoughtful, as if debating whether or not to continue. Looking in to Arizona’s warm blue eyes, she felt safe, so she sighed, “Mom passed away, a few months after Owen and I started dating. I think… I think that’s why we… I was sad and he made me not sad. My mom loved him… We, uh… ended up in Vegas getting married by Elvis. He shipped out two weeks later and month after that I found out I was pregnant with Allegra.”

“Sounds like a lot was going on at one time.”

“It was,” Callie picked at her burger. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean bring the mood down. I just wanted you to know that I would like to take you on a real date, and that I’m not experimenting… or rebounding. You’re more than that, you’re special.” Callie looked away, embarrassed.

“I think you are special too,” Arizona replied. “I’ll admit… I was a little unsure. When I saw you with Mark Sloan last week. I kind of thought maybe you were interested in him.”

Callie smiled, “We were talking about you,” she confessed.

It was Arizona’s turn to be surprised “What?! You were talking about me?”

“He kept trying to hit on me, so I told him, in no uncertain terms, that I _wasn’t_ interested in him. I was already interested in someone else.”

Arizona couldn’t help the smile that crept on her face.

The two women went back to eating their burgers. Callie was happy with how the conversation had progressed, she’d said everything that she wanted… maybe shared a little more than she wanted, the stuff about her mother was a little heavy, but overall it went well.

“So,” Callie nudged Arizona with her elbow. “What’s the deal with Sam? How long has she been in love with you?”

Arizona sucked in a surprised breath, causing a tiny piece of her burger to fly down her throat. She coughed hard to clear it from her airway. Callie reached over and patted her on the back. When she finally got herself under control she looked over to find amused brown orbs staring back at her.

“I bet when you got out of bed this morning you didn’t think you’d be choking on a…”

“If you finish that sentence… I’m never speaking to you again.”

***

After they got their laughter under control and finished their burgers, Callie asked again about Sam Wylie.

“So… Dr. Wylie? What’s the deal there?”

“Sam is my friend, Callie,” Arizona answered. “Nothing more.”

“Is she aware of that? Because she looks at you like a person who is feeling things beyond friendship.”

“For my part, I’m sure,” Arizona sighed. “But it has recently come to my attention that she’s a little… resentful that I…” she licked her lips, “That I’m suddenly interested in you because you are single.”

“Is it?” Callie asked. “Your interest… Is it sudden?”

“You were married, I wasn’t allowed to be interested in you.”

Callie smiled at the answer, “Just so you know… I’ve thought about you a lot. When I knew I shouldn’t be. In ways that I shouldn’t have.” Her cheeks burned red. “God… my marriage was over long before I acknowledged the end.”

“Well, I’m sorry…” Arizona replied. “I’m sorry that I can’t be sorrier your marriage is ending.”

“Me too,” Callie agreed, but she wanted to move the conversation to safer waters. She didn’t want to accidently blurt that she was in love with Arizona, even though she already knew she was. It was way too soon for such declarations. She didn’t want to scare her off. So instead she blurted, “I think Owen is in love with Cristina Yang.”

“Get out,” Arizona replied, shocked. “Yang? Really?”

“I have no proof, mind you,” Callie confided. She didn’t, other than what she saw in the other universe. Those two being married there, was kind of a big clue. “But I’m pretty sure he had a ‘thing’ with her when we were separated. A sex thing. That he never go over.”

“I bet that was tough,” Arizona said sincerely. “Did you? When you guys were apart? See anyone?”

“No,” Callie sighed. “I took vows, you know? Even though he broke his… I thought I should keep mine, we never did an official separation, not like this time. I filed immediately. I know we are done. We gave it a valiant effort, but we are so over. I’m not a cheater, but I’m not waiting three months for the divorce to be final. I’ve given up too much of my life to that farce.”

“That’s good to know.”

“So what about you?”

“Am I a cheater?”

“No,” Callie chuckled. “I know you had a serious girlfriend for a while, what happened with her? Did she cheat?”

Arizona looked at Callie long and hard. She wasn’t sure she was ready to share this stuff yet. They hadn’t even had a date yet.

“No,” Arizona finally said. “She didn’t… that I was aware of. But she did do something unforgivable. Something… I’m not ready to talk about yet. Is that okay?”

“Of course, Arizona,” Callie stated. “I didn’t meant to pry.”

“No… it’s fine, it just… still stings,” Arizona bit her lip, then grinned. “Besides… we need stuff to talk about on our date, right?”

“We do,” Callie said. She reached over and took Arizona’s hand in her own. “I have the kids this weekend, how about I take you to dinner… I want to say next Wednesday, when Owen has the kids again, but I want my bruises gone, so next Friday? Or Saturday?”

“Friday night,” Arizona quickly agreed. “It’s a date. Our first.”

“Hopefully, the first of many.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  Sorry about the crude jokes… I have a problem, I know. Also I speak no French so Google translate is my friend. Dick's drive-in is a real place in Seattle that I know nothing about. Thank Google again.


	10. Chapter 10

Arizona paced around her apartment, phone to her ear, waiting for the person on the other end to answer. She had just returned home after her lunch with Callie and she was bursting to share her joy. She hadn’t felt so free and comfortable with a person since, well, she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so much, so soon… for anyone.

“No… no, don’t go to voicemail,” Arizona sighed as she waited for the tone. “Dammit, Timothy. Where are you? I need to talk to someone.”

After her lunch with Callie, she was buzzing with excitement. She was happy, for the first time in a long time she felt a brightness in her future. A sense of impending greatness. The future that she’d stopped imagining for herself a long time ago was within her grasp… a future filled with possibility. If she wasn’t careful, she would let her excitement and hope overwhelm her. She needed someone to share it with that could talk her down from her height, _without_ completely bursting her bubble.

She needed her big brother.

***

Callie couldn’t keep the smile off of her face. Arizona had dropped her off after their glorious afternoon spent laughing and just enjoying each other’s company and she was still giddy from the experience.

Owen was due at any time to drop off the kids, they’d been with him the night before. He’d offered to keep them again, since Callie was still recovering, but she was happy and wanted to spend the evening sharing her excitement with the children. Not that she was going to tell them why she was so happy yet, but they’d all spent too many nights as a family in discomfort and solitude. Callie wanted to revel in the joy.

She was in the kitchen preparing a snack for the kids, as they were always hungry when they got home from daycare, when she heard the front door opening.  A chorus of ‘we’re home’ and ‘mommy’ followed. Owen’s gentle reminder for them to hang their school bags on the hooks, came right before the tiny pounding of feet as the three ran into the kitchen to greet her. She bent down just in time to receive their hugs and kisses.

“Hey guys,” I missed you last night.

“Missed you too, Mommy,” Gus replied.

“Me too, me too,” Gavin had to get his in.

“Mommy, there was a lady looking for you at preschool today,” Allegra informed. She looked back at her father for confirmation. “She was old, right Daddy?”

“Yes, Allie, she was, but don’t say that,” Owen corrected the young girl.

“But she was!”

“It’s just not polite to say that about someone, even if it’s true,” Callie added. Her mind immediately went to Genie. “Did this woman say what she wanted?” Callie looked from Allegra to Owen.

“She said she was ‘just checking in’ and that you’d know what it was about,” Owen replied. “She was a volunteer… I’d never seen her there before, but Allie said she has.”

“Yes, Mommy she was there… talkin’ to you at the sale.” Allegra said. “Don’t you remember?”

“Is your bwain still squishy, Mommy?” Gus asked.

“Is dat why you forget?” Gavin finished Gus’ thought.

“No, no guys, I remember. My brain is fine,” Callie started herding them toward the bathroom. “Go wash up, and you can have a quick snack before playtime. You too, Al. Let me talk to your daddy for a minute.”

Once the kids were in the downstairs washroom Callie turned back to Owen. “She didn’t say anything else?” Owen shook his head no. “How to get in touch with her? Nothing?”

“No, nothing. Just that she’d find you,” Owen replied. “So… uh, how was your day? Heard Robbins was coming by to do a neuro on you?”

Callie didn’t respond right away, she moved back to island and finished plating some crackers and cheese for the kids, but the smile on her face… _that_ she couldn’t control.

“How did it go?” Owen prodded a little more. “You look happy…”

“It was nice, Owen,” Callie said. As much as she wanted to burst with joy and gush about her afternoon and as cordial as her and Owen had been since separating, it just didn’t feel appropriate to discuss with him. Not yet. “I got cleared to drive, and return to work… but I’m waiting until Monday for that. And we had some lunch. Chatted a bit.” She carried the snack plates over to the table and then returned to the refrigerator to grab some juice boxes.

Owen watched her carefully, he knew she was holding back. Their marriage may have been a farce, but you don’t live with someone for four years and not get to know them, at least a little bit.

Callie looked up and saw the look on Owen’s face, it was a look she never quite figured out. His brow was creased, like he was deep in thought… he almost looked angry, though she could tell from his posture he wasn’t. He was relaxed.

“How’s Yang,” Callie ventured.

“I’m sorry, what? Dr. Yang?” Owen brow creased further and now his shoulders tightened. “Why… why do you ask?”

“Have you asked her out yet?” When Owen didn’t answer right away, Callie added, “Or were you still seeing her from when we were separated before?”

“Callie, no,” He quickly replied. “I swear… after we got back together. I didn’t…”

“I know, Owen… I know that, I’m sorry,” She backtracked. “I’m not bitter…” Callie chuckled. “This is what we both need. The past… is the past. I want to move forward, and I think you should too. And… I… uh… I like Cristina…”

“How did…”

“I’m not blind, Owen,” Callie replied.

The kids came barreling back into the kitchen before Owen could respond. They each climbed into their normal seats and started eating their snacks.

“How about you stay for a cup of coffee, and we can sit on the patio and talk while they have some play time in the yard?”

“Sounds great, Cal.”

***

Arizona had managed to tamp down her excitement enough to pull out her laptop and do a little work for the evening. She was writing a paper on advances in minimally invasive pediatric surgeries, she was a big believer in less is more, especially when it came to cutting open a child. Her mind was too busy to get much actual writing done, though, so she was just doing some editing and random surfing in between.

She was just about to give up on this too, as her brain was currently stuck on one subject, when an incoming Skype call window popped up on her browser. She immediately answered the call.

Major Timothy Robbins, Arizona’s beloved big brother came into view when as soon as she accepted the call.

“Hey, Sis. I got your message. What’s going on? It sounded urgent,” he said. “Everything okay?”

“Everything is great, Timmy. It’s fantastic!” She could barely contain her smile.

Timothy held his hand up in front of his face as if he were blocking the sunlight, “Whoa, dial down the dimples a bit. My shades aren’t handy and I don’t have on my leg.”

“Sorry, sorry… I’m just happy.” She took note of his lack of uniform and surmised he was Skyping from home. “Are you home for the day?”

“Oh, yeah. I was on the freeway when you called. Easy days for desk Marines,” there was a hint of regret in his voice.

“Timothy,” Arizona warned. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what, Sis? I’m fine… I just miss the action. You know me.”

“I do, and that’s why I’m glad you have a nice stress-free desk job,” Arizona replied. “I worry less.”

“You didn’t call to talk about me, and I know I don’t put that kind of smile on your face, now spill. It’s about a girl right?”

“Of course you put a smile on my face, but…” Arizona grinned again. “You’re right, it’s about a girl. No… not a girl, I’m not a teenager anymore, Timothy, it’s about a _woman_. An extremely successful, breathtakingly stunning woman.”

“Wow, I haven’t seen you this excited about someone since that bitch…”

Arizona held up both hands in front of the laptop screen, “No, no, no… don’t’ say that name. This is a happy call, no downers.” As she did so it put her splinted finger right in line with the camera.

“Hey, what happened to your hand?”

Realizing her mistake, Arizona quickly pulled her hand out of view of her laptop camera.

“It’s nothing, just a little…. thing…”

“Arizona, you can’t lie to me, I know all of your tells.  And right now? Your neck is turning red, indicating that you are both embarrassed _and_ lying.”

She tried to cover her neck with her good hand, but gave up when Timothy insisted, “Come on. Just tell me.”

Arizona shook her head no, “It’s nothing… I promise.”

“Not only is your neck red, your eyes looked up and to the left when you spoke, and I’m your brother, Arizona. I know you. And, I’ve had Marine Corps Intelligence training. Interrogation tactics 101… we learn to read body language. You are an open book to me, Little Sis. So you might as well go all in. You know I won’t give up on this.” Now his dimples were on display. “Please. I really wanna know.”

“Okay, fine,” she sighed, trying to compose her explanation in a way that didn’t sound so… juvenile. When she couldn’t come up with something that sounded reasonable she just blurted. “I punched the husband of the woman I like. I fractured the proximal phalanx… basically, I broke my pinky. I’m can’t perform any surgeries for a few weeks while it heals. It’s fine, though. It didn’t require surgery or anything, just a minor break…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…. Back up there,” Timothy said. “Did you say husband? Your new girl has a husband?”

“No, of course not,” Arizona bit her lip, “I mean, technically yes. But they are separated.” She quickly added.

“Oh, Arizona. Married? To a man? Separated or not, that’s a mess to get into. Especially if you are having to punch people… What is that about?”

“Well, it’s a long story. And I will tell you, but before I do, promise me… no judgments, okay? I really need a friend on this, someone I can trust. She makes me feel things, Timothy, and I don’t want you to dampen that, okay? Can you promise you’ll listen to me?”

“Of course I’ll listen. You know it,” he picked up his laptop off the stand and brought it with him as he leaned back on the sofa and made himself more comfortable. “See, all comfy for a long story.”

“Okay… I don’t know where to start…”

“How long have you been dating her?” Timothy tried to get the ball rolling.

“Oh, well… we haven’t actually had a date yet,” Arizona smiled.

Timothy sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Arizona, you better start at the beginning… and I mean the very beginning.”

***

Callie and Owen sat on the partially covered patio in what used to be _their_ backyard, but now it only belonged to Callie. Carlos had purchased the house for them after they had reconciled. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but Owen had to chuckle to himself now, Carlos must not have had too much faith in their reconciliation, because he purchased it solely in Callie’s name. He had claimed it was for tax reasons, but it certainly made the division of assets easier. It didn’t bother Owen anyway, he’d never felt quite at home in the place. Callie and the kids loved it though, so even if he could, he’d never try to take this home from her.

He didn’t even want to consider getting a place of his own, not for a while. He loved his kids dearly and would never intentionally endanger them, and Callie trusted him… but he liked having the buffer of his mother. Plus, his mom loved having them all at her home. She insisted her house was a home for a family, not a lonely old woman.

He wasn’t sure what Callie knew about him and Cristina, or how she knew what she knew, but after he punched the glass at the hospital all those weeks ago he’d started therapy. He’d kept it from Callie, the only one who knew was Cristina. He thought he was protecting his wife from his problems, but what he was doing was shutting her out. He had been intentionally shutting her out of his recovery and he learned from therapy that he kept this from her because he partially blamed her for his anger. He knew deep down that his problems were deeper than him and Callie. They were a result of his time in combat zones, but her inability to help him and his inability to trust her to help him was something that put a wedge in their marriage. A wedge that caused a gaping hole, one he thought he would be attending therapy to close, but that plan had changed as soon Callie had asked for the divorce. Callie’s request allowed him to concentrate on himself, and what he needed, as opposed to trying to fix his marriage. He could barely express how grateful he was for that.

“So, do you want to tell me about Yang?” Callie ventured. They were sitting on the patio sipping on coffee. The boys were digging in their sandbox, while Allegra was on the wooden swing set that Owen built their first summer in the house. “You don’t have to, it’s okay. I just…”

“There is nothing to tell really,” Owen interrupted. “Not yet, at least.” He took a sip of his coffee and sighed. “I do like her though, she calms me, Callie. Makes me feel safe… and grounded.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be the person you needed, Owen.”

“So, you would be okay if I…”

“If she helps you with your PTSD, I’m all for it. If she makes _you_ happy, it makes me happy.”

“I think she can… she has this way about her that,” he shook his head, trying to come up with an explanation. “I don’t know how to describe it, but she feels right.”

“I’m glad,” Callie said sincerely. She reached over and touched his arm, and for the first time in long time, he didn’t flinch. “I’m happy for you.”

“What about you?” Owen asked. “Robbins is nice.”

Again, Callie couldn’t help the smile that took over her face at the mention of the blonde’s name. “Oh, God, Owen. This is so weird… us talking about other people? I didn’t really want to do that, but it’s killing me not sharing with anyone.” She looked him directly in the eyes. “I _really_ like her.”

“I figured,” Owen smiled gently. “Does she reciprocate?”

“I hope so, no… I’m pretty sure,” Callie steeled herself to ask the next question. “Are you okay with it? She’s a… she and… I…”

“Callie, relax. I know you’ve been with women before,” Owen reassured. “You’ve never hidden that from me. We used to talk, remember? When we were first together, we would talk for hours.”

“I do remember,” Callie replied. “Seems like a lifetime ago.”

“Is it serious or just…?”

“It’s not just sex, Owen. We haven’t even had a date,” Callie looked at him earnestly “I just… I need to know if you are okay with it.”

“I would never presume to tell you who, man or woman, you could date. I think she’s great. The kids will love her. You don’t need my permission.”

“Thank you,” she swallowed. “Though, to be fair… I wasn’t asking permission. You don’t actually get to have input into my romantic ventures. I just… wanted to know what I was dealing with. That’s all.”

Owen chuckled. “Right… what was I thinking? _You_ … asking _me_ for approval? Like that would ever happen.”

“Hey! I didn’t always make decisions without you…” she balled up her napkin and tossed it at him.

Owen held up his hands in surrender, “It’s not a bad thing, Callie, I wasn’t complaining. Your independence is one of the things that attracted me to you in the first place.”

“And here I thought it was my extremely fine ass.”

Owen laughed out loud, “That too.”

***

Arizona was away from her laptop grabbing a beer from her fridge, while Timothy recapped what he’d learned.

“So you’ve known her since you moved to Seattle?”

“Yes,” Arizona said as she sat back on her couch, beer in hand. “But I didn’t know know her, you know?”

“No… I don’t’ know.”

“Stop it. I mean we met and were colleagues, but we weren’t friends. Actually, she separated from her husband right around the time I started. I almost hit on her in a bar… a couple weeks later her and the husband were back together.”

“And you work with the husband too?”

“Yes, he’s a trauma surgeon. Kind of intense. He was an army surgeon, a good guy, he did a good bit of battlefield medicine… field surgery. He apparently lost some friends, I think he has PTSD. There are some anger issues, for sure.”

“Arizona.”

“What?”

“It sounds like this guy needs help… not you moving in on his wife.”

“Hey! Don’t… don’t.” Arizona pointed at the screen. “I don’t presume to know what happened in their marriage, or what is going on in Owen Hunt’s head… but they are _both_ happy their marriage is over. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Owen smile as much as he has since they’ve been separated. Callie and Owen separated on their own. _I had nothing to do with it_. We didn’t even start… talking, until they were separated. So just… don’t.”

“Okay, I believe you,” Timothy held his hands up in surrender. “I’ve just seen post combat issues destroy a lot of marriages, it’s tough.”

“I think their problems started long before Owen’s PTSD,” Arizona shook her head. “But that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about Calliope, not her husband.”

“Right, right… where were you? Oh! You almost hit on her in a bar, but didn’t because…”

“I wasn’t in a good place then. I had just moved… you had just lost your leg… A lot was going on.”

“Ah.”

“So… I waited. Next thing I know, she’s back with her husband and within a year they had twins.”

Timothy sat up so fast he almost dropped his laptop, “Twins? They have kids, Arizona?”

“Yeah,” She said a little sheepishly, “They have three.”

“Oh, Sis. What are you getting yourself into?”

“I don’t know,” Arizona said honestly. “I don’t know what’s going to come of this, but I know I can’t not find out. Timothy… I’ve never met anyone like her before.”

“Okay, okay relax. Where does your broken finger come in?”

“Oh, well. Like I said, Dr. Hunt has had some anger issues. He punched an intern a while back… and just a month or so ago he punched and broke a glass partition in the ER.”

“Are you sure you want to be getting mixed up with these people, Arizona? It sounds messy.”

“Just let me finish, okay?” At her brother’s nod she continued. “Last week, I heard some nurses talking about Callie and that she had a broken nose… that Owen caused it. I kind of freaked. I thought he hit her, Timmy. So I found him and when he didn’t deny it… I lost it and punched him. Just like Dad taught me. Turns out… he hadn’t hit her… well he did, but it was with the door to the attending’s lounge. A complete accident.”

Timothy had tried to keep a straight face while Arizona told her tale of gallantry, but he couldn’t. He put his hands over his mouth and giggled like a teenager.

“Timothy Robbins! You are a _Marine_ , giggling doesn’t become you.”

“God, you sounded like Dad. Chill, Sis.” Timothy said. “Just the thought of little ole you punching a former military guy in defense of… a hot girl,” At his sister’s narrowed eyes, he quickly changed to, “Woman… I mean a hot woman.”

“Better,” she said.

“Anyway, you mistakenly punching a guy for hitting his wife, when he really didn’t hit his wife. It’s just such a comedy of errors…”

“Yeah, well Chief Grey didn’t think it was so funny,” Arizona chuckled. “But Owen forgave me. He was actually kind of impressed... happy someone stood up for Callie. Even though she didn’t need it.”

“And they say chivalry is dead.”

“She inspires me,” Arizona shrugged. She sighed deeply and picked at the label on her mostly undrunk beer. “Can I tell you something really personal?”

“Of course, Arizona. You know it.”                                                               

“I’ve had some,” she paused, “dreams… of a life with her. _Literal dreams_ … almost like glimpses of what our life together would be like. At first it was just an occasional dream, but lately… it’s almost nightly. I wake up… and I want to go back to sleep. I want that life so bad. And… I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? What…?” Arizona was confused by Timothy’s simple declaration.

“I mean… it’s okay. I get it. You are feeling soul-matey things. You should go for it, see if she’s your one.”

“And if she’s not? If my subconscious is just crazy into her because I think she’s hot?” Arizona questioned.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try, right?” Timothy said. “So go for it, and if she isn’t the one… then you’re no worse off than you are now. And if she breaks you? I’ll help you pick up the pieces, just like when that bitch whose name you won’t let me say tore you apart.”

“I can tell you one thing,” Arizona said. “I’ve felt more joy after one lunch with Callie, than I did during my whole relationship with Lauren. And you know what? You _can_ say her name… I’m not giving her any power over me anymore.”

“Right on, Sis!” Timothy pumped his fist.

“Really? That’s what you are going with?” Arizona picked on her brother’s interjection.  
“Right on?”

“Right. On.” Timothy repeated with a nod of his head after each word.

“Dork.”

“I have one more question for you, Sis.” Timothy stopped smiling and look of complete seriousness came over his face.

Arizona was a little bit afraid of what he might ask, his expression was so earnest. “Um… okay, go ahead and ask.”

“How’s her ass?”

“Jesus, Timothy. I’m not answering that.” She tried to look offended, but it made her think about the object in question and she couldn’t help the blush that crept up her neck and into her cheeks.

“You don’t have to, that blush on your face tells me everything I need to know.”

“And just what is that?”

“Your Callie has a fine ass.”

***

Arizona’s call with her brother ended a few hours ago and she’d long since given up on getting any work done tonight. He’d covered every reason she shouldn’t be dating Callie Torres and not a single one swayed her. She was confident and sure, Callie was a risk… that much was clear, but it was risk Arizona had to take. This was her chance at something she couldn’t quite grasp.

It was either going to be the greatest thing that ever happened to her, or not. It was that simple. She couldn’t view it any other way.

She couldn’t keep her mind from wandering to the perfect afternoon she’d shared with Callie. They’d laughed and talked for most of the afternoon, and only parted when Callie had to go home to be there when her kids arrived. The afternoon could have easily turned to a full evening together, possibly into the night. Neither had wanted to part when the time came.

Arizona was sitting on her couch flipping through the channels on her television. Normally she would have been out with friends, possibly at Joe’s having some drinks, but tonight she just wanted to sit and think… about Callie.

She was fighting the urge to pick up her phone and call, she didn’t want to seem overeager. She purposefully avoided looking at her phone as it sat on the coffee table and taunted her.

Arizona stopped her channel surfing when she came across a documentary on parallel universes. It was being narrated by Morgan Freeman, and reminded her of the conversation she’d had with Callie the night she’d stayed at her place.

She grabbed her throw and settled herself on the couch.

 _“Is there more than one of you? More than one of me? Another version of me may look identical…”_ Morgan Freeman narrated from the television screen. _“We could all be living multiple parallel lives. Because as scientists explore the outer reaches of physics and the cosmos, they are beginning to believe that parallel universes do exist. And that they might determine the fate of humanity.”_

Arizona became so engrossed in the show that she actually jumped when her phone buzzed from the coffee table. She picked it up when Callie’s name flashed across the screen.

“Oh, thank God,” She paused the show and answered her phone before it could go to voicemail. “Hello,” she quickly said. “Callie?”

“Oh… hey,” Callie stuttered. “I thought it was going to voicemail… I was prepping an awe-inspiring message in my head.”

“Hmm, well now I wish I had let it go…” Arizona said in a teasing voice.

“Stop, it’s not nice to tease.” Callie replied.

“Teasing is very fun, if done properly,” Arizona chuckled. “I uh… had a really great time today. I haven’t laughed like that in a long time. It was super fun.”

“That’s exactly what I was calling to tell you,” Callie said. “Except… I probably wouldn’t have used the word super.”

“Okay… maybe you are right,” Arizona grumped at being on the receiving end of teasing. “It’s not nice to tease.”

“Turnabout is fair play.”

“Fine,” Arizona conceded. “So, how was your evening? Did you have a nice dinner?”

“Oh, I skipped dinner. I just fed the kids,” Callie replied. “I was still full from that big…”

“Callie,” Arizona warned.

“ _Burger._ I promise I was just going to say burger.”

“You realize you’ve ruined Dick’s for me,” Arizona admonished over Callie’s laughter, “Yeah, that’s right. I said it. Get your laughs out now because I will never be eating there with you again.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop… I promise.”

“I was actually just thinking about you when you called,” Arizona went for the subject change.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m watching this show on the Science Channel about parallel universes, it’s really interesting. It made me think about our conversation the other night.”

“Oh?” Callie was curious, but didn’t want to make herself sound crazy. If she talked about her actual experience, it could scare Arizona off. She definitely didn’t want to do that.

“Yeah, they really believe there are other universes out there, parallel to our own… that could even have duplicates of ourselves in them. It’s really interesting stuff. I may have to go find that article my brother sent me and actually read it now.”

“I’ll have to try and catch the show sometime,” Callie said. Maybe someday she could share her experience with Arizona, but not yet. “I’ll let you get back to watching… I was just calling to let you know I’ll see you at work on Monday, I’m taking the weekend with the kids before I return. Maybe we can meet up for lunch?”

“Of course, having lunch with you again would make my day.”

“Mine, too. Today was… great,” Callie said. “I…” She was interrupted by Allegra screaming from her room. “Hey… I gotta run, Allie must have had a nightmare.”

“You go,” Arizona quickly replied. “Take care of your kids. I’ll see you Monday.”

“I can’t wait,” Callie said. “Goodbye, Arizona,”

“Goodbye, Calliope.” Arizona pulled the phone down from her ear and pressed the button to end the call.

Arizona pressed play on the remote and the show started up again. She glanced over at the clock on the wall and sighed.

Monday was four whole days away. 


	11. Chapter 11

The weekend passed in a flash for Callie, the kids consuming most of her time. Her only break from the children came Sunday afternoon when Owen’s mother picked them up and took them out for ice-cream. She planned that time to do what she’d been dreading- having the talk with her father. The desire to tell him about her divorce in person was strong, but not strong enough to fly across the country. That option was certainly off the table, but as it was time for her every-other-Sunday-afternoon Skype call, she figured at least face-to-face would do.

Callie was nervous, but the visit went better than expected. Her father was obviously disappointed, but not surprised that the reconciliation didn’t take.

“You aren’t mad, Daddy?” Callie asked. She was sure in her heart the divorce was the right thing to do, but talking to her father always made her feel like a little girl. A little girl who hated to let down her daddy.

“No, mija. Of course I’m not _mad_. It’s not my place to be mad,” Carlos said.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” Callie replied. “A big ‘but’.”

“Calliope,” Carlos warned. “There is no but, I’m just a little sad for my grandchildren.”

“Daddy, you know we’ll do our best by them,” Callie said. “I want them to see what real love is, not two people who barely speak to each other and sleep in separate rooms. Owen and I just don’t work, Daddy, we never have and we never will. He’s a good friend and a good father, but we’re better apart.”

“I trust your judgment, Calliope, your happiness and the happiness of my grandchildren are what’s important. If losing your mother has taught me one thing it’s not to waste time. Your life is what you make of it, everyday… don’t wait for it to happen to you. Make it happen for yourself.”

“It’s funny you should mention that, because there is someone who I think can make me happy.”

“So you're dating again. Well, that's good. That's healthy. I'd like to meet this new gentleman suitor.”

“It’s way too soon for that. No… no meeting you yet. We haven’t even had a real date…” She took a deep breath, “Daddy, please be ok with this.”

“With what?” Carlos asked. Callie looked at him and smiled self-consciously until he got the hint. “Oh, it’s a woman?”

“Yes,” Callie answered simply, then quickly added. “She’s smart, and funny, and beautiful and very supportive. She’s a pediatric surgeon, she saves children for a living, Daddy. She’s amazing.”

Carlos didn’t say anything, his face unreadable. Finally after a few long, agonizing seconds, he cleared his throat and said, “Well, whenever you think it’s time, I’d love to meet her.”

Callie released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, and tears of relief formed in her eyes.

“I think that can be arranged,” she smiled.

***

Arizona was tired of her apartment, she’d tried to keep herself busy all weekend, which normally wasn’t a difficult task, but this weekend was taking forever. She went out Friday night with her friends, and had she wanted to, she could have taken someone home. She’d had an offer from a cute young woman who said she was new to Seattle, but Arizona wasn’t interested. Not anymore.

She went home alone Friday night, and didn’t even bother to go out on Saturday. Instead, she cleaned. And organized… and then reorganized. She cleaned and reorganized both her kitchen cabinets and her closet. She even took some time and vacuumed, and she _hated_ vacuuming. She did everything she could to keep herself from calling Callie.

The stir-crazy blonde made it all the way to Sunday afternoon before needing to get out of the apartment. She had several ideas as to what she wanted do, but all of them involved calling Callie, which is exactly what she was trying to avoid doing. She didn’t want to be an over eager beaver. After several discarded ideas, Arizona finally settled on going for a drive and trying to find a nice quiet coffee shop to sit and work on her proposal.

She had a regular coffee shop that she enjoyed quite a bit, she even flirted with the cute barista, but for some reason found herself not wanting to deal with anyone in her regular sphere.

She drove without a specific destination in mind, other than finding a place to have a quiet coffee and do some work. She maneuvered her car with ease through Seattle traffic, away from the center of the city. She drove by the park where she used to play tennis- another place Lauren ruined that she intended to reclaim. Maybe Callie played tennis? Or she could teach Callie to play. She shifted in her seat, a blush creeping up her neck at thought of Callie in a tennis outfit.

A few miles from the park Arizona came across a tiny coffee shop that stood out from the rest of the buildings on the street. It was brick facade with an old fashioned hanging sign above the door that announced the name **_SerenDRIPity_**. Deciding it was just the sort of place she was looking for, she quickly found a parking spot, grabbed her laptop bag and made her way to the front of the shop.  There was sidewalk chalkboard in front of the entrance welcoming customers to **_SerenDRIPity_** , underneath the name was the hand written tag, _It Must Have Bean Fate_. Arizona grinned at the name and pushed through the door.

A bell rang announcing her entrance into the shop. The place was inviting and comfortable with several couches, as well as tables and chairs, haphazardly placed around the small café. She went directly to the counter and waited for someone to come take her order. She scanned the daily specials, listed as Brew the Day on the handwritten menu, she considered the house special dark roast, but eventually opted for her usual cappuccino.

After placing her order, she found a comfy spot to sit and powered up her laptop. As she waited for her drink to arrive, she admired the eclectic décor, it was a little too hipster for her taste, but fit the café’s vibe well. A few other patrons were also in the shop: a young couple practically canoodling in the back corner, a man who kept sending glances her way, and an elderly lady reading a book, other than that, she was completely alone. Exactly what she’d been looking for.

The barista delivered her cappuccino, in a real mug, and left her to her work. She took a sip of her drink, carefully licking the foam from her lip. It was the best cup of coffee she’d had in ages. Deciding to wait on her work, she pulled up the article her brother sent her about the multiverse theory.

She was so deeply engrossed in reading the article that she didn’t notice the person approaching her table until she saw their shadow pass over her indicating them standing behind her. She sighed, thinking it was the man who’d been staring at her since she arrived, but when she turned to tell him to bug-off, she was surprised to see the old lady standing there.

“There are some very interesting theories in that article,” she said. “But none of them quite get it right.”

“Uh...” Arizona shielded her laptop from view. She hated when someone read over her shoulder, and even though she wasn’t currently working on her proposal, she was very protective of her work. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, no no dear. It’s _me_ that will be helping _you_ ,” The old woman smiled like she knew a secret. “Well… not _you_ exactly.”

“I’m sorry… what?” Arizona’s confusion was obvious. “What are you talking about?”

“You are the upswing; _you_ don’t need me.”

The elderly woman was scrutinizing a little too closely for Arizona’s comfort, she shifted in her seat and said, “I have no idea what you are talking about, ma’am. But…” The bell over the door clanged, indicating another patron had entered the shop. “But, I’m kind of in the middle of something here…”

“No, not the middle… just the beginning,” the old lady winked. “The best part.”

“Arizona?” came a surprised voice from behind the old woman.

Arizona leaned to the side to see around the older woman, pleasantly surprised by the identity of the person who had called her name, “Callie!”

The old woman turned at the same time, bringing her face into view. “Genie?” Callie asked. Her shock at seeing the two women together apparent.

“Dr. Torres,” Genie replied in greeting.

“You two know each other?” Callie asked, pointing back and forth between Arizona and Genie.

“No,” Arizona immediately shook her head.

“Not yet,” Genie replied cryptically.

“But you two know each other?” Arizona guessed.

“Oh yes, my dear,” Genie replied. “ _Destiny_ brought us together.”

“Destiny?” Arizona asked, still a bit lost.

“Our Lady of Destiny,” Callie supplied. She gently nudged Genie with her elbow. “Allegra’s preschool. It’s catholic. Ms. Hart is a volunteer there.”

“Oh…” Arizona looked back at the grinning older woman. “Well it’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand for the older woman to take.

“I’m sorry, how rude of me. Arizona this is Eugenia Hart, Genie this is Dr. Arizona Robbins,” Callie introduced the two officially. She cleared her throat and gave Genie a look that said ‘don’t say anything remotely weird’. “Dr. Robbins works with me at Seattle Grace Hospital.”

“Well isn’t that nice,” Genie winked. “I’ll let you two enjoy your coffee, but if I could speak to you in private before you leave, Dr. Torres.”

“Of course, is… uh,” Callie glanced at Arizona, who was watching with rapt attention. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, dear, everything is going… _as intended_.” She patted Callie on the arm, then turned to Arizona, “It was nice meeting you, Dr. Robbins, I’m sure we’ll see each other again… in the future.” 

Arizona barely managed a, “you too,” before the older woman left the two alone to return to her own table on the other side of the café.

Now by themselves, they were finally able to have a proper greeting.

“Hi,” Arizona said. “What a delightful surprise this is.”

“Yeah,” Callie replied, looking around the place. “What exactly are you doing here?”

“Oh,” Arizona was taken aback by Callie’s response. “I was just having some coffee? Is that not okay?”

“Oh! No, I’m sorry… that sounded rude,” Callie quickly stated. “I was just shocked seeing you here, in my neighborhood.”

“Wait, this is _your_ neighborhood?”

“Yeah, my house is only about three blocks away. You didn’t recognize the street?”

“Huh,” Arizona smiled. “No… I was just driving around, looking for a nice place, and I… ended up here.”

“Oh, well then,” A sly grin formed on Callie’s face. “It must have _bean_ destiny.”

***

Callie went to the counter to order her coffee and a refill for Arizona, while Arizona shutdown her laptop and put it away. She knew no work would be getting done now, not with Callie here. She’d much rather spend time with Callie anyway.

Callie returned to the table with a scone for herself, and the giant chocolate chip cookie Arizona requested, while the barista fixed their drinks.

Callie slid the cookie across the table to Arizona, who took it and smiled with purpose, “Thank you, Dr. Torres.”

“You are very welcome, Dr. Robbins.” Callie raised a single eyebrow, which actually caused Arizona to swoon a little, which she quickly covered with a question, “Um, what are you doing out and about? I thought you had the kids this weekend.”

“I do, they are actually tied to the bike rack out front.” Callie responded with a straight face. “I just needed a break.”

“I know you are teasing,” Arizona shot back.

Callie relented quickly, “Owen’s mom took them for ice cream this afternoon so I could make some calls and they wanted to stay with her for dinner. They’ll be home in about an hour,” Callie pointed to her phone, “She’s supposed to text me when they are on their way.”

The barista chose that moment to deliver their coffees. Callie immediately picked hers up. Arizona’s gaze fell to Callie’s flawless lips as she first blew on, then sipped her coffee. Callie moaned at the frothy goodness, and licked her lips to clean away the creamy foam. Arizona swallowed hard, she wanted to kiss the cappuccino foam away so badly that she had to close her eyes to force the thought away. She took a deep breath and when she opened her eyes back up, she glanced over Callie’s shoulder to see the woman, Genie, smiling back at her. Thankfully, Callie was still engrossed in her coffee and had missed Arizona’s longing look.

Arizona cleared her throat and forced herself to speak, “They’re doing okay?” she asked. “The kids? With the transition?”

“So far, things have been fine,” Callie answered, oblivious to the affect she had on the other woman. “The boys have been completely undisturbed, and Allie has been asking a few questions, but nothing too traumatic. Honestly, Arizona, not much has changed. Our work schedules had us not spending much family time together anyway… and his mother always kept them on overnights. Our schedules were opposite a lot… which, considering Owen made his own schedule, should have been a big clue that marital implosion was imminent.”

“It sounds like his mom is pretty great,” Arizona said.

“She’s a godsend,” Callie replied. “And the kids adore her. She’s the only grandmother they have.”

Arizona’s face took on a sympathetic expression. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It must have been hard losing your mother.”

“It was,” Callie swallowed. “It changed me, I sometimes think about how my life would be different, if she were still alive.”

“I can’t imagine,” Arizona said. “I’ve never lost anyone close to me. I’ve been lucky. All of my grandparents are alive, both my parents… the closest I’ve come is my brother’s accident and even that messed me up. I just… I don’t know what I’d do with a loss like that. How I’d be different.”

“Hmm,” Callie sighed. “You never know how it’s going to affect you. My father, sister, and I are all closer because of it. Which… is actually the reason Owen’s mom took the kids for me today. I had to Skype my dad, break the divorce news.”

“Ugh…” Arizona expressed sympathy for Callie’s task, “How’d that go?”

“Surprisingly well,” Callie nodded. “Very little catholic guilt.”

They spent the rest of the hour chatting about their weekend and the upcoming work week, each carefully avoiding the subject of their date- except for a quick conversation to clear-up who would do the planning. Even though Callie technically asked, Arizona wanted to be the one who planned the date. She wanted to woo, she excelled at wooing.

All too soon the flirting, laughing, and finding reasons for their hands to accidently touch came to an end as Callie’s phone vibrated across the table. The text she had been anticipating had arrived, alerting her the kids would be home in twenty minutes.

“I’d better head out,” Callie sighed. “I walked.”

“I could give you a ride?” Arizona tentatively asked. “That way… you could have your chat with um… Genie? She keeps staring.” She pointed to the woman who was waving at them, again.

“Ugh,” Callie grumbled. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed her chair back from the table and stood to leave. “I will happily take that ride, but only if you were ready to leave anyway.”

“With you gone, there is no reason for me to stay.”

“Wow, smooth,” Callie’s breathtaking smile returned.

“I try my best,” Arizona winked.

***

“You two are adorable,” Genie said as Callie sat down across from her. “I think she’s smitten already.”

“Why are you here? Is something wrong?”

“Not here, dear,” Genie sighed. “Nothing is wrong _here_.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that… as your happiness grows, theirs is about to be tested.”

“You mean…”

“Yes, the ones you visited,” Genie replied.

“Is there anything we can do?”

“I have no details I’m afraid, I just know that what’s coming is coming. We can’t change it.”

“If we can’t help, then why did you tell me?”

“I needed to see you to know for sure. Destiny isn’t an exact science, Calliope. Well, it is… technically, but it’s above my pay grade.”

“You get paid for this?” Callie exclaimed.

“It’s a figure of speech, dear,” Genie explained. “I’m a volunteer.”

“Is it my fault?” Callie sighed, she hated the thought that her happiness here might be causing a rift in the other verse.

“No, no,” Genie assured. “I didn’t mean to imply that at all. It’s just part of the natural ebb and flow.”

“Will they be okay?”

“Eventually.”

“And you are sure there is nothing we can do?”

“What’s coming is a fixed point. It has ramifications across multiple verses, we can’t interfere,” Genie explained.

“Wait… across verses? Does that mean… something is going to happen here? Should I be wary?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Genie didn’t respond, her face was unreadable.

“God! Why did you tell me this?” Callie whispered harshly. “How am I supposed to react to this?”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Genie sighed. “All I know is… what I know. _You_ wouldn’t have been able to cross over if you weren’t meant to have something here. You were meant to correct your course. You two will be fine, that much I’m sure of. So breathe, Dr. Torres. Put this out of your mind… quickly, _she’s coming_.”

“Who…”

“Calliope? Is everything okay?” Arizona noticed Callie’s discomfort, so she came to rescue the woman from whatever was causing her such distress.

When Callie didn’t answer or even turn to look at her, Genie did, she stood from her spot and looked Arizona in the eye, “She’s fine, dear. You two had better get going. Don’t want to keep those adorable children waiting.”

“Callie?” Arizona was still worried about the brunette, she looked like she’d received some bad news. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Callie shook it off, “I’m fine. I promise,” but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

***

Monday morning rolled around quickly before she knew it, Callie headed to the conference room for Ellis’ regularly scheduled staff meeting. She was running late, per usual. She supposed she’d be standing this morning, as Monday’s were the full staff meeting, not just department heads. When she arrived the room was full of attending surgeons as well as the department heads, and as suspected was standing room only. She looked around trying to find Arizona in the crowd, but she was suspiciously absent.

Callie’s concern over the other versions of her and Arizona had waned during the previous evening. She decided to put her trust in fate and destiny and Genie’s assertion that things _here_ were on the upsurge. She almost felt like it would be disrespectful to their alter egos for her not to revel in the happiness that she felt was coming their way. If they were having a hard time, then she would balance it out by making the most of what she was given.

Arizona’s absence, however, was worrying. From what she knew of the woman, she was never late for anything. Her not being here, coupled with Genie’s cryptic warning… was causing Callie more than a little anxiety.

Ellis came barreling into the room right on time, causing the chatter that had filled the room just seconds ago come to a complete stop. She immediately got down to business.

“There is a lot on the agenda today so, let’s get started.”

As the various department heads started giving their status reports, Arizona quietly snuck in the room. She weaved her way through the crowd until she was standing to the left and slightly in front of Callie. She turned and looked over her shoulder and gave a slight wink in greeting.

Callie sighed in relief and leaned forward and whispered, “I’ve never known you to be late before.”

The blonde shivered as Callie’s warm breath flowed over her ear. Arizona was noticeably blushing, sure it could have been from rushing in at the last minute, but Callie chose to believe it was her proximity causing it.

Arizona quietly cleared her throat and whispered back. “I’ve been in the skills lab, practicing stiches with this on.” She help up the hand with the splint. “The brace is coming off this week and I need to be ready for the conjoined twin surgery. That’s my baby, I’m not missing that.”

“Pediatrics?” Ellis said. “Dr. Robbins… would you like to share with the rest of us? Or are you just updating Dr. Torres today?”

Arizona’s blush intensified, but she managed to get her voice working enough to reply, “I’m sorry Chief Grey, we were just discussing my recovery and how it will affect the Boise twin surgery. On the off chance that my finger won’t be healed in time, I’m training Alex Karev as my back-up. However, I expect to be fully recovered and able to perform my part without issue.”

“You are right, it won’t be an issue. Your new protégée, though I loath to give him the honor, will be going in your place. Next… General?”

Though they weren’t actually touching Callie could feel Arizona’s body go rigid and her breathing increase. She tenderly placed her hand on the small of the fuming blonde’s back in hopes of calming her, giving her something to ground herself with. She wanted to whisper some words of encouragement, but before she got the opportunity, Ellis was asking for a Cardio update.

***

Arizona was speechless. She had just been dismissed from a case. Her case. In front of everyone. Callie’s gentle touch was the only thing that kept her from bursting into tears during that meeting.

After it was adjourned, Ellis immediately summoned Callie and Owen to go with her, for reasons and to places unknown. Arizona had stormed out of the conference room and was currently hiding in an on call room so she could process this and decide what to do, how to proceed.

A light knock sounded at the door, rousing Arizona from her angered musing. The door creaked open and Arizona’s heart leaped in hopes it was Callie coming through the door, but Samantha Wylie stepped in.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Arizona said sharply.

“You don’t look fine, you look mad.”

“Well…” Arizona sighed. “I not mad. _I’m furious_. She took me off of _my_ case, Sam. My surgery, which I brought to this hospital.”

“I knew this would happen,” Sam stepped further into the room. “You aren’t even dating her, and already getting mixed-up in her drama is costing your career. A career you worked very hard cultivating.” Arizona stood silent as Sam moved even closer. “After what happened with Lauren, I can’t believe you’d let someone jeopardize your career again.” She put her hands on Arizona’s biceps and gave them a gentle squeeze. Arizona looked down at the hands that were now slowly moving up and down on her arms, pulling her into an embrace and felt… nothing. Samantha’s touch did nothing for her. “Arizona you can’t let this happen. Not again.” Sam’s caress did nothing for her- made her feel nothing- but the words however… motivated her.

“You’re right,” Arizona nodded. “You are absolutely right. I’m… I’m going to go talk to her right now. Stop this before it goes too far.”

***

Callie and Owen were in the Chief’s office waiting for Ellis to finish up a phone call. Neither knew why they’d been summoned, but both worried it had something to do with their current domestic situation.

Ellis hung up the call and sat up straight in her chair, “I guess you are wondering why you’ve been asked here this morning?”

“If this is about our divorce, I assure you…” Owen started to say.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your divorce… as long as you keep it out of my hospital, it’s none of my business.”

“Oh, uh… then what did you want with us?”

“Torres, I know you been unofficially acting as department head for Cardio since Dixon left, and you’ve done a fine job of it, so I don’t want you to take this as a reflection on your work… but as you yourself have just recently finished your fellowship I’m bringing in another person to officially head up the department.”

“What? Chief Grey, I’ve been excellent you can’t demote me!” Callie shouted.

“This isn’t a demotion, Torres, you were never the given the title or the pay of a department head. I recognize this may feel like a demotion, but to the contrary it’s simply a side move. You are an excellent teacher, Meredith swears by the Torres Method and Yang has been no less than brilliant under your tutelage, but your ability to handle paperwork is… lacking,” Ellis explained.

Callie wanted to protest, but she knew Ellis was speaking the truth.

“The new Head of Cardio will handle the scheduling, budget, and fellows, while you’ll continue to handle the residents’ training. Plus, I want you innovating, Torres. Using your surgical skills. You can’t do that if you are worried about the budget all the time. We can revisit in a few years, when your life is less… hectic.”

It still stung to not be chosen for department head, but Ellis had sufficiently soothed Callie’s ire.

“I don’t understand why I was here for this?” Owen finally asked.

“I was about to get to that, Dr. Hunt,” Ellis grabbed a small stack of papers that were on her desk and handed them to him. “I’m looking for a recommendation. This is who I want to hire.”

He read the name at the top of the resume: _Theodora Altman_.

***

Arizona stood on the catwalk looking out of the giant windows on the side of the hospital. She could see Owen and Callie in Chief Grey’s office and was not so patiently waiting for them to finish up. She had do this now, before she lost her nerve.

From Arizona’s current vantage point Callie didn’t look happy- that concerned her, but she couldn’t think about that now- she had to do what was best for her. Her career was important.

Callie and Owen were both standing and each were shaking hands with Ellis, Arizona figured this meant they were finished. She marched straight to the Chief’s door to wait for them to exit.

She was standing right outside, when Ellis opened the door. Before Callie and Owen even made it out into the hall Arizona was speaking, “We need to talk,” she blurted. “Now. It can’t wait.”

“What?” Callie looked taken aback. “You need to talk to me?”

“I was speaking to Chief Grey,” Arizona clarified.

“Oh,” Callie replied, clearly embarrassed. “Sorry, I thought… I’ll just… uh, go.”

“Come on in, Robbins,” Ellis said, before turning and heading back into the office. “Make it quick, I have surgery in twenty.”

Arizona grabbed Callie’s arm as she passed by, “Can you, uh… wait for me?” she whispered.

“Of course,” Callie replied immediately. “Here?” They stepped away so Owen could push by them to leave. He smiled sheepishly and gave a little wave goodbye before moving across the catwalk.

“Um, actually, can you meet me in the ped’s on call room? Ten minutes?” Arizona looked nervous, she bit at her bottom lip as she waited for Callie to answer

“I’ll be there,” Callie grabbed Arizona’s hand and gave it a squeeze, before leaving her to deal with the Chief.

***

“What can I do for you Dr. Robbins?” Ellis asked.

Arizona narrowed her eyes, Ellis knew exactly why she was here, she was sure of that.

“Chief Grey, I am going to cry. And I just want you to know that it’s going to happen. And I just want you to ignore it. And I’m not crying because I’m upset. It’s just what happens when I get mad at people of authority.”

“You’re mad at me?”

“I’m furious at you, ma’am. And I’m crying because you’re the boss, my boss, which brings up my issues of authority and my dad, who you kind of remind me of. Not that you’re old… or a man, but you command respect, people respect you….” She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes. “I’m not sitting out of this surgery. You cannot sit me down.”

“Robbins, your finger won’t be ready…” Ellis said. “You know how important this surgery is for the prestige of this hospital. As Chief of Surgery, I simply cannot have any…”

“With all due respect, Dr. Grey. _I’m_ _the_ _Chief_ _of Pediatric Surgery_ , they approached this hospital because of _me_. I will not step aside. I’ve worked too hard preparing for this, I refuse to sit out.”

Ellis sat back in her chair and carefully scrutinized the tearful surgeon in front of her. “I respect your passion, Dr. Robbins,” she finally said. She sighed and waved her hand in front of her, effectively dismissing the younger surgeon. “You can go to Boise. If you aren’t able to perform your part, you can still supervise. You’re absolutely right, this is your baby.”

“Thank you, Dr. Grey,” Arizona said. “You won’t regret this.”

“I hope you don’t either.”

***

Arizona was buzzing with excess energy. She stood up to Ellis Grey. She, Arizona Robbins… stood up to Ellis Grey, and _won_. Sure a few tears were shed in the process, but she was able to make her point and sway the argument in her favor. Arizona counted that as a success. Nothing was going to keep her off that plane to Boise.

She needed to see Callie right now, share the joy. She pressed the button for the elevator again. And again. Trying in vain to make the lift come faster.

“Arizona,” Sam called out. She strode up to Arizona with confidence, like she knew exactly what the blonde wanted and needed. “Did you do it?”

“I did,” Arizona smiled. “And it was hard, but it had to be done.”

“How did she take it?” Sam asked, a sly grin on her face.

“Good, I cried a little, but I think I maintained my dignity.”

“Wow, you cried?” Sam’s suddenly looked confused. “I thought you weren’t serious about this.”

“Wait… what?”

“You said that she was just another notch on your belt,” Sam replied.

“Ew… no, that’s just…. Ew.” Arizona shuddered at the thought. “She’s a little old for me. And she’s my boss. And she’s _happily_ married.”

“You aren’t talking about Torres, are you?” Sam shook her head. “I thought you said you were going to talk to her… break things off. Save your career from her drama.”

“Um… no,” Arizona said. “Why would I do that? I spoke to Ellis… stood up to her. And I’m back on the case.”

The elevator finally arrived and the two women stepped aside for the passengers to get off. Arizona stepped onto the elevator, but Sam stayed put.

Arizona put her hand on the door to keep it from closing and asked, “Are you getting on?”

“No,” Sam replied. “I’m headed to Ortho.”

“Sam, I uh… lied to you before. I want more from Callie than a notch on my belt. She means more to me than that, so… you need to get yourself good with that or I’m afraid our friendship will suffer. And I don’t want that. I like you, Sam, but I’m not interested in you.” She pulled her arm away and let the elevator doors slide closed.

***

Callie kicked two residents out of the pediatric on call room and she patiently waited for Arizona to arrive. She checked the time on her phone, she need to do rounds and she had surgery in an hour, Arizona had better hurry.

She took the few moments of solitude to seriously think about what had just happened in Ellis’ office. She had just had department head job taken from her, but Ellis had said some really nice things about her. She expressed confidence in Callie’s skills as a surgeon and teacher, which made Callie happy. Maybe it was a good thing, not having all the extra duties of the department head would give her more time to be a single mother. She hadn’t really thought about that before, but she was a single mother of three, time was something she would desperately need.

She was about to check her phone again when the door to the on call room suddenly burst open and a smiling Arizona stepped in.

“Callie,” she sighed. “Thank you for waiting. Sorry it took so long.”

“It’s fine, I have a few minutes before I’m needed,” Callie stood from where she had been sitting on the small bed. “Is… everything okay?”

“It’s fine…” Arizona was standing few feet away from the brunette, “I uh… I stood up to Ellis, I’m back in charge of the Boise twins’ surgery.”

“That’s fantastic, Arizona,” Callie exclaimed. “She had no right to take that from you.”

“I know,” Arizona chuckled. “I was furious.”

“I got demoted,” Callie said. At Arizona’s incredulous look, she corrected, “Not demoted, per se, but she’s finally hiring someone to take over for Dixon as head of Cardio… and it’s not me.”

“Callie, I’m so sorry… are you okay?”

“You know… I am,” Callie smiled. She took a step closer to Arizona. “I’m not… I don’t have time for the extra stress right now. It’s a blessing in disguise.”

Arizona took another step so they were standing face to face, Callie was slightly taller than her, so she had to somewhat look up into the other woman’s eyes. Arizona didn’t want to rush things with Callie, but Sam’s unappealing touch earlier just reminded her of how _much_ Callie made her feel. How a simple brush of fingers, or bump of shoulders moved her more than the other woman’s full embrace. Callie set her body on fire.

“Callie?”

“Hmm?”

“I know we haven’t had an actual date yet, but it feels like we’ve already been on two, and uh… I can’t wait… I don’t _want_ to wait until Friday to do this.” She reached up and put her hands gently on either side of Callie’s face. Her eyes grazing Callie’s perfect lips. Her thumb rubbed across the brunette’s cheek ever so softly. She flicked her eyes back up to gaze into Callie’s deep brown orbs, “Is this okay?”

Callie swallowed hard, her breathing increased, heart pounding in her chest in anticipation, “Yes,” she rasped. Her voice almost gone. “I can’t wait either.”

Arizona pulled Callie toward her, her head tilting to the side, both their eyes fluttered shut. Their lips meeting in a delicate union of soft flesh. Arizona didn’t want to push too much, she kept the kiss light and gentle, ever careful of bumping the brunette’s still healing nose. Her right hand, the one without the splint, slid from Callie’s cheek and threaded through her thick dark locks. Callie tightly griped the blouse on either side of Arizona’s waist causing the shorter woman to moan.

Arizona pulled back away from Callie’s full lips and tenderly leaned their foreheads together, eyes still closed. She took a moment to catch her breath and as she did the smell of Callie’s perfume, overwhelmed her, spicy and exotic, it nearly drove her mad.

“I’m sorry,” Arizona whispered, her eyes fluttering open to once again find soulful browns ones looking back. She let her hands slide down over Callie’s shoulder to grasp her upper arms and hold her close. “This morning has been crazy, and I couldn’t go another minute without kissing you.”

“Arizona…” Callie sighed. “There is something you need to know before we continue this.”

The blonde’s brow furrowed slightly and a look of apprehension passed over her face. Just as she dropped her hands to her sides, Callie brought hers up to brush Arizona’s golden locks away from her eyes, and smoothed the worry crinkle away with her fingertips.

Arizona looked thrown for a second, then Callie’s eyebrow raised and a dazzling smile came over the brunette’s face, “You never have to apologize for kissing me.”

She pulled Arizona in for another, very important, meeting of lips.


	12. Chapter 12

After sharing their first kiss, the rest of the day went by without Callie and Arizona so much as passing in the corridor. Callie had been called into an emergency surgery straight from the on-call room and then missed lunch. Arizona was so caught-up in practicing in the skills lab she entirely failed to notice the brunette and her kids leaving. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

For a day that had started out with a high, containing some pretty amazing ups and downs, it certainly ended with a whimper.

Once again alone in her apartment, Arizona was eating Chinese take-out and reviewing charts. It was no different than any other normal Monday evening, but it suddenly felt empty. She ordinarily wouldn’t have any trouble entertaining herself; reading, television, working out… but now, she just felt alone. She understood what was happening, but was powerless to stop it. Arizona was already so smitten with Callie that anything less than spending time her presence resulted in a feeling of discontentment.  She pushed her noodles away, her lonely dinner paled in comparison to the lunch last week, and the coffee they shared yesterday. They were bright points in her less than stellar year. She was restless and bored… and she were completely honest with herself, after that kiss this morning, just a little bit sexually frustrated. Just the thought of Callie’s lips on hers caused a warmth to spread throughout her body. She bit her lip and sighed. Okay… maybe she was a lot sexually frustrated.

“Grrr,” she groaned and flopped over on her couch. She grabbed her phone and dialed her brother. He answered almost immediately.

“Timothy,” Arizona exclaimed. “I need help. She’s killing me… absolutely dead. I won’t survive the week.”

“That hot, huh.”

***

“Yeah, Addison,” Callie was on speaker phone with the redhead. She was in Allegra’s bedroom brushing out the young girl’s hair. The boys were already safely tucked in and their gentle breathing could be heard through the open door that separated the children’s bedrooms.  “I got the pictures, he is adorable. Allie thinks so too, don’t you sweetie.”

“I think he looks squishy,” Allegra replied.

“Allegra!” Callie scolded. “You don’t say that…”

“It’s okay, Allie. He does look squishy, do you know why babies look squishy when they are first born? It’s because we have to squeeze them out of…”

“Addison,” Callie warned. “She’s four.”

“I know that babies come out of their mommy’s belly!” Allegra insisted to her mother. “I’m a big girl now. Nana says I’m getting too big for my britches.”

“You are too big for your britches,” Callie gently poked her daughter in the belly causing her to burst into giggles. “But it’s bedtime for you and your big britches. Can you hold on for just a second, Addie, let me get her tucked in then we can talk more.”

“Of course, I have nowhere else to be right now.”

Callie pressed the mute button on the phone, and set it on the nightstand. Allegra climbed into her bed, and allowed her mother to pull the covers up snug around her. “We’ll finish reading your book tomorrow night. You can look at the pictures until you get tired, okay?”

“Okay, night Mommy,” the little girl yawned.

“Goodnight baby girl. I love you,” Callie kissed her daughter on the forehead. “Sleep tight.”

“I will. Love you too,” her eyes were on her book, but she was already having trouble keeping them open.

Callie shut off all the lights, except a small night light close to the young girl’s bed, grabbed her phone, then closed the door and hurried down the stairs.

Once she was in the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of wine and brought her phone back up to her ear, “Addie? You still there?”

“I am, I told you I can’t go anywhere… I’m a milk factory and I have an extremely needy consumer,” Addison sighed. “And I know I should be napping while he’s napping, but he’s due to wake up in half an hour or so and if I go to sleep now it will just be that much more painful to wake up. Also, I’m bored.”

“How are things going with… um…?”

“Jake?”

“Uh… Is that the father?”

“Yes, Callie god…” Addison grumped. “Jake is the father. Things are going… okay? It’s a weird situation, and Mark isn’t helping with his incessant whining about wanting to be a dad, but… I don’t want to talk about me. I’m tired of me. What have you been up to? Why have I not heard from you for almost a week, when you promised to call?”

“I’m really sorry about not calling. Things have just been so crazy. You know… with Owen gone, and having to take care of the kids on my own.”

“Hmm,” Addison huffed. “Are you sure nothing else has been taking up your time? Something blonde, perky… butterflies on her scrub cap.”

“She doesn’t have butterflies on her scrub cap,” Callie corrected her friend. “Why are people always saying that?”

“She looks like the type, Callie, don’t deny it.”

***

“I’m a wooer Tim, you know that. Wooers don’t initiate first kisses in on-call rooms!” Arizona anxiously said. “What was I thinking?”

“That she was hot?”

“There should have been wine and candles…,” Arizona continued talking as if Tim had never spoken, “Or or… stars and the moon… oh, the ocean and a sunset… not the drab interior of a tiny room where randy residents with questionable morals get their jollies.”

“Randy? Jollies? Have you been binge watching Downton Abbey again?”

“I guess it could have been worse,” Arizona allowed, still not acknowledging the fact that he spoke. “It could have been in a dirty bar bathroom. Although, that has a certain charm. Me just going in, laying one on her, leaving her speechless… with a smile on her face.” She smiled at the seemingly random scenario, until she realized there was only silence on the other end. “Timothy are you even listening to me?”

“I was just making sure you were finished, Sis,” he laughed. “You were on a roll.”

“Tim…” she warned. “Don’t tease me, I’m completely panicking here, and you are being absolutely no help.”

“I’m not exactly sure what it is you want from me, Arizona,” Timothy said. “I don’t really want to hear about my sister kissing hot soon-to-be-divorced cardio surgeons in on-call rooms, but here I am.”

“Ew, you are right, don’t talk about me and Callie kissing. I really shouldn’t be sharing this much personal stuff with you, ignore that part,” Arizona grimaced, then heaved a heavy sigh. “I need a friend.”

“It’s not my fault Sam isn’t speaking to you and now you have to come to me for dating advice,” Timothy responded. “It’s really difficult for me to stay out of your business when you keep calling me about your business. But I’ll try.”

“Oh yeah, Sam. That’s another can of worms I’m not ready to deal with. I’ll think about that tomorrow,” Arizona said. “After all... tomorrow is another day.”

“Now you’ve gone from Old Blighty, to the deep south.”

“Well, I’ve decided that living in denial- putting the hard things out of your mind to deal with later- is a legitimate life choice. Scarlett O’Hara was no dummy, Tim. She got stuff done.” Arizona leaned back on her couch and rubbed at her forehead. “Honestly, I just want to think about Callie now, nothing else.”

“Okay,” he relented.  “Where are you taking her on your date?” He wanted her to deal with the Sam issue, because he knew his sister had a tendency to avoid things until they blew-up in her face, but he didn’t want to push. He loved his sister and wanted her to be happy and this Callie person had brought out some serious joy in her lately. He wasn’t going to bring her down.

“I don’t know. There are so many choices, and this date _has_ to be perfect,” Arizona sighed. “Help me, Tim. Help me decide, you’re my only hope.”

“Star Wars now?” Timothy shook his head. “Okay, I’ll help you, but promise me one thing, Sis?”

“What?”

“Step away from the television.”

***

“Let’s see… you’ve had lunch and coffee,” Addison summed up what Callie had been saying. “Do you know what that makes this?”

“What?”

“Third date,” Addison laughed. “You better go see the Ukrainian, get your surgical field prepped.”

“What? No… it’s _not_ our third date!”

“Um, I beg to differ. It’s been almost two weeks since you’ve expressed interest in each other, you’ve had two outings in which food was consumed, and… you’ve made out in an on-call room.”

“What?” Callie exclaimed again. “I didn’t tell you about that!”

“I guessed,” Addison blurted. “But you just confirmed it!”

Callie grumble, but didn’t respond.

“I’m good at this game, Callie,” Addison said. “Well, I’m good at figuring out other people’s romantic entanglements- my own? Not so much. So, uh… how was it?”

“The kiss?” Callie sighed. “Like waking up from a long, long, _long_ passionless slumber.”

“Oh, gross. You’ve got it bad,” Addison joked. Callie didn’t laugh, she remained silent on the other end. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that you are right, _it is_ our third date,” Callie replied nervously. “Oh god, what do I do?”

“You like each other, you are both consenting adults… it’s not complicated, Cal,” Addison said. “Prep your field, your dry spell is over.”

“When are you coming home,” Callie asked. “I need a friend here to talk to about this kind of thing.”

“What about Mandy Bailey?” Addison asked. “You two used to lunch together all the time.”

“Ellis fired her, remember?” Callie replied. “Plus, I can’t even imagine how awkward that conversation would be. Mandy just doesn’t seem like the type to be down for discussing my surgical field prep habits.”

***

“I have to take her to dinner, right? I mean… fancy. Expensive wine… gourmet French stuff. Impress her with my ordering skills. No! Wait… she’s bilingual, I overheard her talking about it with her friend… my limited French won’t impress her,” back in full on panic mode, Arizona continued to ramble. Tim kept trying to get a word in, but it proved impossible. “Picnic in the park maybe? No, it’s after work, it’ll be too late for that. Oh! I could cook dinner… at my place, I’ve been watching the Food Network a lot lately… or would that seem presumptuous? I don’t want her to think I’m just trying to get her into my apartment so I can put the moves her… it is kind of technically our third date… Oh god, will she be expecting moves? Timothy, why aren’t you helping me?”

“You won’t stop talking long enough for me to help you, plus you said I was supposed to ignore the personal stuff, and you were rambling about moves. You caused me a serious dilemma, Sis. Listen and help, or ignore you,” Tim replied. “I went with ignore.”

“You are teasing me again,” Arizona grumbled. “I don’t have time for teasing.”

“Okay, okay,” Timothy relented. “Why don’t you… do it all?”

“Come again?”

“Buy a bottle of expensive wine, cook a simple meal, then have a picnic by candle light under the stars. Your classy building has that nice rooftop terrace, it’s a perfect place for stargazing,” he explained. “And at the end of the evening, if it feels right… then make your move. Or don’t. You’ll know, Sis. You’re good at this. Don’t be nervous.”

“I know I shouldn’t be nervous, but she feels important, Tim. Very important. Potentially life changing.”

“If you are meant to be, Arizona,” Tim assured his sister, “then nothing you do or don’t do on this date will matter. She’ll love you anyway. How could she not?”

***

“What if it all goes wrong, Addie?” Callie whined. “What if… she realizes I come with tons of baggage? Three kids and an ex are a lot to deal with.”

“Callie,” Addison warned. “You need to stop this line of thinking. She knows all of this coming in. You’ve been coworkers for years. She knows, okay?”

“Of course she _knows_ ,” Callie sighed. “But… what if it doesn’t matter now because she just wants a fling? What if she doesn’t want a future with me and my kids? She’s never actually met them, what if she hates them?”

“There is no way Arizona Robbins would hate a child,” Addison scolded. “You should be ashamed for thinking that.”

“You’re right, she won’t hate them,” Callie admitted. “But what if she grows to resent them?”

“Callie.”

“I’m sorry, I feel so… unsure right now,” Callie replied. “I’m nervous, and when I’m nervous my brain-to-mouth filter sometimes fails. Oh, god… I’m a blurter. What if… I say something stupid on the date and she bails?”

Even though Callie held some foreknowledge of their meant-to-be status, she still felt uneasy, like she had something bigger than herself to live up to… her future… Arizona’s future… their happiness together, all hinged on this one date.

“You are frustrating as hell, Callie Torres. Listen to me, if you are meant to be,” Addison assured her friend, “then nothing you say or don’t say on this date will matter. Your baggage won’t matter. She’ll love you anyway.”

“You are right. She will love me, I know this. _I know_ she’s going to love me,” Callie said. She took a deep breath, and shook off the sudden panic. “Also… I should probably stop referring to my children as baggage, huh?”

***

The week zipped by in a flash, both women busy tending to their lives and careers. They’d shared a few phone calls, which just served to increase their longing. Only twice had they managed to grab a quick lunch, the residents were busy prepping for their boards, requiring more work out of the attending surgeons.

At long last, the Friday night had arrived. Their first ‘official’ date. Arizona took off early Friday afternoon to prepare her place for the date. She reserved the rooftop terrace for the evening, luckily it had been available. The building manager had commented that she must have had someone looking out for her, because it was usually booked weeks in advance, but Arizona called only minutes after a cancellation. She was fixing a recipe she’d seen on the Food Network, Spicy Tomato Soup with habanero peppers and a simple pasta and shrimp salad.

The soup was on simmer, the pasta salad was chilling in the refrigerator, and Arizona was putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She was wearing a simple blue sleeveless dress that tied at each shoulder. It pulled snug at the breast, then draped softly to the waist where it fit close, the skirt flowed freely, but not too loose and it came to a stop just above the knees. She smoothed the skirt down, then took deep breath to calm herself before deciding she was finally ready for Callie to arrive.

Arizona had set up the small intimate table on the terrace earlier with candles and flowers and place settings, all she needed to bring up with her was her gorgeous date, the food, and wine. She’d put together a fancy picnic basket earlier, and was now packing the soup, salad, and utensils. Callie was due to arrive at any moment and everything had to be perfect.

***

Callie’s cab dropped her off right in front of Arizona’s apartment building. She’d debated back and forth with herself about driving versus taking a cab, she so rarely got to bring her baby blue thunderbird out of the garage and take it for a spin, but she ultimately decided on the cab so she could enjoy a few glasses of wine without worry.

The doorman greeted her with a smile and pointed her in the direction of the concierge. Callie was used to money, she’d had it her whole life, and she knew luxury when she saw it, Arizona’s building was nice, very nice, the kind of place a single successful surgeon would live, which almost intimidated Callie. Even with being a successful surgeon and a homeowner, she still thought of herself as the resident that almost lived in the basement of the hospital. She had a hard time seeing herself as a real adult, despite all the evidence to the contrary: three kids, a mortgage, a successful career, and a divorce. All very adult things.

The concierge informed her that Dr. Robbins was expecting her and to go on up, he directed her toward the elevator and informed her of the floor and apartment number.

Once in the elevator, her nerves kicked in. She pulled her little hand mirror out of her purse to once again make sure her make-up and hair were perfect. She had her hair pinned up on one side and let the full dark curls flow freely on the other. Her black dress had a fitted bodice, with see through lace across the bosom over a lighter under fabric.  She looked hot.

The elevator arrived at Arizona’s floor and she quickly put her mirror away. Callie sucked in a deep breath through her nose, then out through her mouth to calm herself, then departed the elevator and headed straight to Arizona’s apartment. She paused only long enough to smooth down her dress, before raising her fist to knock.

***

Arizona was just checking her watch when she heard the soft knock at her door. She couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face at the thought of the woman that stood just on the other side. She quickly made her way to the door, calmed her breathing, then yanked the door open.

“Calliope,” she sighed.  She took in the beautiful sight before her. Her gaze met the other woman’s beautiful brown eyes, then she let them wander down to the stunning dress that housed the most delectable body. “You look... amazing.”

“As do you,” Callie replied. “I love that color on you.”

“Thank you,” Arizona said, almost shyly, as she continued to stare at the plunging neckline of Callie’s dress.

“Um, Arizona?” Callie raised a single eyebrow.

“Hmm?” Arizona’s gaze drifted back up to make eye contact again.

“Can I come in?”

“Oh my god, of course, come in,” She stepped aside and let the brunette through the door, her face flushing with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, you just… you look so gorgeous. I was momentarily stunned by your beauty.”

“Okay, that’s a good save,” Callie smiled. “I forgive you. You, uh... look pretty fantastic, yourself, that dress is..." She trailed off as Arizona gazed at her expectantly, suddenly at a loss for words. “Um… nice,” she lamely supplied.

"Thank you, Calliope."

She looked around Arizona’s apartment, “This place is amazing, Arizona.”

“Do you want a tour before we head up?”

“Up? I thought you said we were having dinner here?”

“Oh, well we kind of are,” Arizona winked. “This building has a very nice rooftop terrace and I reserved it just for us tonight.” She pointed toward the picnic basket that was sitting on her kitchen island. “Picnic under the stars?”

“That sounds fantastic.”

Arizona showed the other woman around the small, but well laid out apartment. It was only one bedroom, but it was light and open, with stunning views of the city skyline through floor to ceiling windows. Callie admired the other woman's decor, the colors were a bit too much like an Easter basket for her tastes, but they fit Arizona well. Her heart rate increased as Arizona showed her the bedroom, she was both nervous and excited about the prospect of her evening ending here. She took a calming breath, putting the bedroom out of her mind, she didn't want her evening to be dominated by thoughts of will they or won't they. She wanted to be aware and present for the entire date. Callie didn't want to miss a single moment of Arizona, not a single word or smile or laugh.

After the tour was over, Arizona grabbed the picnic basket and they rode the elevator to the top floor.

Arizona stopped right before the door to the terrace, “I set up our table earlier and no one is supposed to be up here except for us tonight. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure it’s gorgeous,” Callie smiled.

Arizona pushed open the roof access door to pouring rain.

“Oh,” she said. “That’s unexpected.”

Her carefully set table was drenched and the small candles were floating in their glass holders.

“It wasn’t raining when we left your apartment,” Callie said. “It couldn’t have taken more than five minutes to get up here, how could this much rain fall that quickly? Even for Seattle, this is…” She looked at the other woman who looked as though she were going to cry. “Hey,” she said. “It’s okay. Let’s… let’s just go have this picnic in your apartment.”

“But… I wanted to give you the stars.”

“I don’t need the stars, Arizona,” Callie said. “I have you.”

***

They returned to Arizona’s apartment where she quickly set up another perfect picnic setting on her small coffee table. She lit some candles and threw some pillows from the sofa on the floor for them to sit on. When she had Callie settled in, she started unpacking the picnic basket. First she poured them each some wine. Then she served up their soup, the aroma immediately filling the room.

“This smells amazing, Arizona,” Callie inhaled deeply. “What is it?”

“Oh, uh… spicy tomato soup, with habanero peppers,” Arizona grinned with pride. “I hope you like spicy.”

“I love spicy,” Callie waited for Arizona to get seated before lifting the spoon to her mouth. She pursed her lips and gently blew on the soup to cool it.

“Good, because I added extra peppers,” Arizona explained

Callie’s spoon stopped before putting the soup in her mouth, “Um… how many habaneros did you put in this?”

“The recipe called for two, but they were so small I put in more … four.”

Callie swallowed hard, “How much soup did you make?”

“Just this,” Arizona gestured at the two small bowls. “And I refrigerated some for me to have tomorrow. Why? Do you think that was too many peppers?”

“Maybe not,” Callie replied. “Depending on your portions. Let’s taste and see.”

They both quietly slurped a little soup off of their spoons, their eyes locked for a second, neither saying a word. Callie quietly put the spoon down and picked up her glass of wine and took several big gulps. “It’s good,” she said, her voice slightly rough.

“No it’s not, Callie, it’s horrible. Inedible,” Arizona took a large sip of her own wine. “It’s way too spicy. What was I thinking adding so much extra?”

“You only added two, Arizona, that’s not…”

“Four,” Arizona corrected.

“I thought you meant four total…”

“No, the recipe called for two,” Arizona explained. “I added four extra. A total of six. I swear I tried the soup after two peppers and it wasn’t at all spicy. I’m so sorry… we can’t eat this.”

Callie tried to hide her smile, but Arizona was so adorable when she was pouting, “It’s okay. We don’t need soup.”

“Right, I also made this fantastic pasta and shrimp salad,” Arizona’s smile returned. “I saw the recipe on the… Callie, why are you making that face? Do you not like shrimp?”

Callie bit at her bottom lip, “Um, actually… I’m allergic to shrimp.”

“Oh my god! Like anaphylactic shock allergic?”

“No, just ugly rash allergic, but I don’t like to take the chance.”

“Of course not, you shouldn’t ever gamble with food allergies,” Arizona slumped on her cushion. “What a disaster this date is turning out to be. First it rained on our terrace then I tried to burn our lips off with excessive habaneros and now I’m trying to kill you with shrimp. You must be so disappointed in me. I thought tonight was going to be our night, you know?”

“Come here,” Callie reached out and took Arizona’s hand to pull her closer. When she had the other woman where she wanted her, their faces only inches apart, she said, “Nothing has been ruined and nothing is a disaster. This can still be our night, we can have sandwiches. Does that sound good?”

“Yes,” Arizona sighed, Callie’s lips were so close, if she leaned in just a little, “Wait, you don’t like sandwiches.”

“I like the girl who has the sandwiches,” her eyebrow raised as if to challenge Arizona. When the blonde didn’t protest, her gazed dropped to Arizona’s lips. She leaned in closer, their breath mingling.

“Pizza,” Arizona said. “I’d rather have pizza.” The words ghosting over Callie’s lips.

“Pizza it is,” Callie replied just as their lips met.

***

“Oh god,” Arizona sighed as Callie’s lips moved down her neck. They had ordered a pizza and then they sat on the couch and made out like teenagers while waiting for it. The pizza had arrived just a few moments ago, the box sat unopened on the coffee table… they’d simply picked back up right where they left off when the delivery guy had interrupted them. “I feel like we are moving too fast and too slow, both at the same time.” Callie just hummed her response against Arizona’s delicate neck. “Are… are you sure you are ready for this?” the blonde asked, her breath catching as Callie went for her ear.

“I couldn’t be more ready, Arizona,” Callie replied, her lips never stopping their assault on the other woman’s ear. “I even went to visit Ukrainian yesterday.”

“Oh… oh god,” Arizona moaned. “I don’t know what that means, but keep doing that thing with your tongue.”

Callie smiled against the other woman’s ear, then whispered, “Why don’t you give me another tour of your apartment, I don’t think I got a good enough look at you bedroom earlier.”

“What about the pizza?”

“Bring it,” Callie stood and pulled the other woman up from their spot on the couch.

“You are going to be the death of me, Callie Torres.”

“Yeah?” Callie asked, suddenly shy.

“Oh, yes.” Arizona bit her bottom lip. “You. Your lips. That… dress… Definitely.”

“Well then,” Callie reached back and pulled the zipper down on her dress, her bravado returning with a vengeance. “Just wait until you see what I have on under this dress.”

***


	13. Chapter 13

Callie awoke the following morning to the feeling of kisses across the back of her shoulder. Soft sweet kisses. She must be dreaming.

“Wake up, pretty lady.”

No, not dreaming… still at Arizona’s. She rolled over and came face to face with the woman of her dreams. “Mmm, morning,” Callie said, a sleepy smile her face.

Arizona reach out and brushed Callie’s messy brunette locks aside, “Did you sleep okay?”

“Better than I have in years,” Callie rubbed at her eye, trying not to smear last night’s eyeliner too much.

“I’m so glad you stayed,” Arizona scooted a little closer.

“Me too.”

“No regrets?”

“Not a single one,” Callie tugged on a piece of silky blonde hair. Her vision finally cleared enough to take in the other woman, her face scrunched in confusion. “Why are you all dressed when I’m…,” she lifted the sheet and glanced under at herself, “still naked.”

“I got up early, took a shower, made some coffee, and went to get us some donuts,” Arizona smiled. “I love donuts.” She was dressed in a simple t-shirt and yoga pants, comfortable, but covered. Causing Callie to feel a little bit self-conscious.

“Um, do you know where my clothes are?” Callie asked. “I’m a little underdressed here...”

“If I tell you where they are, that puts a crimp in my plan to keep you naked and in bed all day.” Arizona tilted her head as if to challenge Callie to defy her plan.

Callie, for her part, wouldn’t think of ruining Arizona’s plan, but she had plans of her own. She reached over and started tugging at Arizona’s t-shirt, “If I have to be naked and in bed all day, then so do you.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Arizona leaned in and captured the other woman’s lips with her own.

***

Some time later, Callie was propped up against the headboard, the sheets wrapped around her still naked body. Arizona lay on her side, also naked and tangled in the sheets, head in Callie’s lap. Callie had her right hand running through silky golden locks and the other caressing Arizona’s shoulder and arm.

“You realize,” Callie said. “At some point today I’m going to need to shower. Is that allowed?”

“Does showering require clothing, Calliope?” The question was rhetorical, “All naked, all day. Those are the rules, I don’t make them.”

“Yes you do, you said so yourself,” Callie laughed. “The words, ‘My apartment, my rules,’ came out of your mouth not twenty minutes ago.”

“Oh yeah,” Arizona smiled. “I forgot.” She lifted herself and turned to kiss Callie.

“Mmm,” Callie sighed into the kiss, her eyes fluttering closed. “You are insatiable,” she said against the other woman’s lips.

Arizona pulled back and chuckled, “Can you blame me?” Callie gave her side a little pinch, causing Arizona to jump slightly. “What was that for?”

“I’ll think of something,” Callie sighed as Arizona laid her head back into Callie’s lap. “How about I go take a quick shower, and you go get those donuts?”

“I should get the donuts first, because if I bring those into bed with us, you’ll definitely need another shower. We both will.”

Callie raised an eyebrow at the other woman, “Sounds like a plan.”

***

Even later Callie was finally back in her dress from the night before and Arizona was in a pair of jeans and a casual grey V-neck sweater. They’d shared a shower and were now wanting to go out for some late lunch.

“I wish I’d been presumptuous and packed a bag,” Callie said as she slipped her feet into her heels.

“I’m sorry you have to make the walk of sha…”

“No, don’t say it… there is no shame,” Callie interrupted Arizona before she could finish the word. “I’m just sorry you have to take me home to change before lunch, seems like wasted time.”

“Any time spent with you is decidedly NOT wasted, Calliope,” Arizona replied. “Besides, I told you I would have happily stayed in bed with you all day.”

“Oh, you wore me out. I had more sex last night and this morning than I had with Owen in the last six months he actually touched me… and that was more than year ago… and… and… I don’t know why I brought that up. I’m sorry. Please don’t think I was comparing or… or just missing sex in general. I mean, I was, but you are more than that… You are amazing Arizona… and I… ugh,” Callie dropped her head in defeat. “Sometimes my brain to mouth filter is suspect. I’m really sorry.”

Arizona placed her hand on Callie’s cheek and gently brought her head back up, “Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. You said I was amazing, and I’ll take that as a compliment. I like when you blurt. It’s cute.”

“Yeah?”

“Adorable,” Arizona said. She leaned in and stole a kiss.

“No one has ever called me adorable before,” Callie replied.

“Well, ‘no one’ is stupid _and_ blind. Because you are stunning and adorable and hot and sexy all wrapped into one.”

“You are such a sweet talker, I bet you have women lining up for you.”

“Such is my burden in life,” Arizona winked.

Callie just laughed, “Okay, let’s go so I can get changed. I’m starving. And… I’m about to be presumptuous again, but why don’t you pack a bag, we can stay at mine tonight?”

“I like the way you think.”

***

After Callie changed into more comfortable day clothes, they went to the Elliot Bay waterfront to have the late lunch/early dinner. They spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening browsing around Pike Place Market:  antiques, crafts, food markets, and even a few comic book shops.

When they finally tired of shopping, they stopped by the produce market on the way out to grab something to snack on later at Callie’s place. Callie was picking through the produce, looking for the sweetest ripest fruits, visions of hand feeding Arizona running through her head. On the other side of the market, Arizona looked over some local wines, she generally went for the more expensive stuff, but decided to pick up a couple bottles from Seattle Urban Wineries.

Their choices made and purchased, the two jumped in Arizona’s car for the ride back to Callie’s house. Callie couldn’t keep her eyes off of Arizona, who was trying to keep her eyes on the road.

They pulled up to a stoplight, Arizona looked over to find Callie staring, “What?” She asked.

“Nothing,” Callie said. “You’re just awesome.”

“I’m trying to drive, Callie Torres,” Arizona jokingly warned. “And _you_ are distracting me. What if I’m looking at you and a truck comes out of nowhere?”

The simple question caused Callie to suck in her breath and a chill ran up her spine. A vision of flying through a car window flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes to rid herself of the sight. She felt nauseous, and without thinking, she rubbed at the nonexistent scar between her breasts where the other Callie’s chest had been cracked open. She didn’t know if she were experiencing one of her counterpart’s memories, or if her own mind had just conjured up an image to go with what she’d learned had happened in the alternate universe. Either way, she was feeling unsettled by what she saw and felt.

Arizona’s smile faded at the troubled look that suddenly took over the other woman’s face, “Callie? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Callie lied. “But, um… you are right. You should pay attention to the road, ignore me.”

When Arizona didn’t immediately look back to the road, she said. “I’m fine, I promise,” Callie pointed toward the light. “It’s about to change to green again. You’d better drive.”

Arizona stared for another second to make sure Callie was okay, before looking back up at the light, which was indeed changing to green. She drove on as if nothing had happened.

Callie spent the remainder of the drive in silence, replaying the strange sensation over and over until eventually the feeling passed. The goose bumps on her arms faded away, taking with them Callie’s anxiety. She came to the conclusion it was just a case of déjà vu and her subconscious mind filling in some blanks by means of what she learned _over_ _there_.

Not wanting to ruin her, thus far, perfect weekend, Callie decided to put the incident out of her mind and by the time Arizona pulled them into the driveway, she had succeeded.

***

Callie and Arizona were side by side, on matching outdoor chaise lounge chairs, on the small patio behind Callie’s home watching the sunset and sipping on wine. Arizona couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering to the breathtaking brunette that was seated next to her. She reached over and took Callie’s left hand in her own. She played with her fingers, running the tips of her own over Callie’s ring finger where a small tan line from her wedding rings was the only evidence that she hadn’t been Arizona’s for years like it currently felt. She’d never felt so in tune and happy and… complete around someone so soon before. And if she were completely honest with herself, she’d never felt so fulfilled by another human being. Her work brought her joy, her parents and brother, her friend Nick, all of those things made her happy, but Callie made her feel whole. The strength and quickness at which that feeling had overtaken her scared her a little. She’d been burned in the past, and Callie… Callie was a huge risk. Recently separated, children, working together, working with Callie’s ex, and the irrational fear that Callie would choose to go back to that ex… none of it seemed to matter. If this was only temporary, which she hoped beyond hope it wasn’t, but if it were? Then she was going to enjoy every moment she had with this woman. She wasn’t going to let her fear keep her from potential greatness. She’d done that before and Lauren had taken advantage, it was never happening again. She would never be ruled by fear again.

“What’s going on in the head of yours?” Callie asked, squeezing the hand that was holding hers and bringing Arizona out of her musings. “What are you thinking about?”

“My ex,” Arizona honestly replied.

“Oh,” Callie looked unsure. “That’s, uh… nice?”

“No it’s not,” Arizona chuckled. “She’s a real bitch, to be honest. Totally morally bereft.”

“And you are thinking of her now because…” Callie led, hoping Arizona would continue. She had to admit, she was curious about the woman that broke Arizona’s heart. She couldn’t understand how someone could know Arizona and not love her.

“Well, I was thinking about you and how much you terrify me,” Arizona replied. “And then…”

“Wait, I terrify you? You are afraid of me?”

“You terrify me in a good way, Calliope. You make me feel things and _that’s scary_.”

“Because of… me… or her?”

Arizona took a deep breath, “You really want to know about her?”

“I want to know everything about you, Arizona. The good stuff and the bad stuff. I want it all,” Callie replied.

“Okay, but first,” Arizona got up from her chaise and refilled their wines. When she returned to the chairs, she didn’t sit in hers. “May I?” she pointed to the lounger that Callie was sitting in, asking permission to squeeze in next to the brunette. Callie happily obliged, taking the wine glasses from the blonde and sitting them on the ground next to her and scooting over to make room for Arizona in her chair. It was a tight fit, but neither complained as they were cuddled close, their full bodies touching. Arizona was on her side, head on Callie’s shoulder and arm around her waist.

“Mmm, this is perfect,” Callie hummed.

“It is, isn’t it?” Arizona said, her nose rubbing against Callie’s neck.

“Definitely,” Callie sighed. Arizona was silent for a long while. Callie was starting to get concerned, she didn’t want to force the other woman to talk, but her curiosity was killing her. Just as she was about to open her mouth and ask again, Arizona started to talk.

“I met Lauren right after I came to Seattle,” Arizona started. “Online actually.” Callie started caressing the arm across her waist in a comforting manner, causing Arizona to sigh. “God, every time you touch me I feel amazing.”

“Too distracting?” Callie asked. “Want me to stop?”

“God, no,” Arizona said. “Never stop.” She squeezed the other woman tighter before continuing. “Where was I? Oh… yeah, I needed someone to peer review a grant proposal I had written up, and she volunteered. We talked and she was nice and fun, you know? I had no idea how evil she really was.”

“Evil?”

“Oh, yes, Calliope… evil,” Arizona chuckled. “She helped me edit and tweak my proposal, then we kept talking… we met up in person and one thing led to another and suddenly I was in a long distance relationship with her. She travels a lot for her specialty, so whenever she was on the west coast, we met up. I assumed we were exclusive because she called me her girlfriend.”

“Ah, she cheated?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” Arizona answered as best she could. “I assume she did now, but I have no proof… other than her obvious lack of morals.”

“So what caused the rift?”

“I… god, this is so humiliating,” Arizona sighed.

“You are safe with me,” Callie reassured the woman in her arms.

“Right, I know… I do. I don’t know how, but I know I’m safe with you,” Arizona looked up into Callie’s eyes. “I feel like you would never betray me.”

Callie smiled and smoothed some blonde wisps down, and tucked a loose hair behind Arizona’s ear.

“I was too afraid to send in the proposal,” Arizona said quickly. “I didn’t think it was any good, that it stood a chance in hell, and I gave up on it. Lauren didn’t. She submitted it for me.”

“Okay…” Callie was confused. “How is that…?”

“With her name on it, not mine.”

“Oh.”

“And it won, Lauren Boswell won the Carter Madison grant with my proposal.”

“Arizona! The Carter Madison? My god, that’s…”

“Humiliating, I know.”

“Why didn’t you fight her?”

“I didn’t even know for the longest time, and when I finally found out… I was too ashamed of myself for letting the fear of rejection get the best of me… and the embarrassment at such a crushing betrayal… I couldn’t. I gave up, let her go to Africa and save my tiny humans.”

“Oh, Arizona… I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a lesson learned. Never again will I let fear rule me,” She held up her left hand that had her pinky finger still buddy taped to her ring finger. “It’s why I couldn’t let Ellis take me off the conjoined twin case. Fear will no longer stand in the way of my career.”

Callie took Arizona’s hand and brought it to her lips. She tenderly kissed the healing finger, “I’m so sorry,” she said. “You got this because of me and it almost cost you…”

“No,” Arizona pressed her index finger to Callie’s lips to silence her. “It didn’t cost me. It actually helped me, I stood up to Ellis, and that felt good. Everything about you feels good, Callie.”

They cuddled in silence for a while, both lost in their thoughts, Callie’s fingers still tracing across Arizona’s arm. Callie wanted to confess her love for Arizona so badly, but she knew it was too soon. Way too soon. She wasn’t about to spook the other woman by moving this faster than it already was. Even though they felt certain- _predestined_ to happen. Callie wasn’t taking any chances. She could feel the love all she wanted, and she could revel in that feeling, but the words… those could wait.

“We got kinda deep for our first date, huh?”

“Is this still our first date?”

Arizona laughed, “Technically it is. We’ve been together the whole time, no breaks in action…”

“Oh, and the action has been so…”

“Vigorous?”

“Yes, we’ve had a vigorous action filled date and I don’t want it to end.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Arizona mused. “We can keep going.”

“A perpetual first date?”

“Sure, why not?” the blonde chuckled. “We could just press pause on it when we have to go back to work and reality. Keep us in a nice pink bubble, and then pick right back up where we left off when we can be together again.”

“Wednesday,” Callie said.

“Huh?” Arizona looked up in question.

“The kids come home tomorrow evening and don’t go back to Owen until Wednesday,” Callie said. “So tomorrow evening, we pause our perfect first date bubble until hump day.”

“Hump day,” Arizona echoed.

“But we still have tonight and most of the day tomorrow, so let’s take this date back inside,” Callie leaned in and kissed Arizona until she was breathless. “I know a vigorous first date activity that we haven’t tried yet.”

***

“Dancing? Your vigorous first date activity is dancing? I’m feeling like I’ve been hoodwinked… bamboozled… that kiss was some seriously sexy false advertising.”

“My house, my rules, Arizona. Besides, dancing can be sexy.”

“You dancing maybe, but have you seen me dance?”

“No, and I plan to remedy that right now.” Callie went to the large entertainment center in the family room and pressed some buttons on her docked iPod. Gomez’s Little Pieces started playing through the surround speakers.

Callie turned back to Arizona and motioned her over with index finger. When Arizona got close, Callie grabbed her by her hips and started swaying to the beat. “Let’s see your moves, Dr. Robbins.”

They danced and danced. Song after song: laughing, swaying, spinning and touching… until finally they fell in an exhausted heap on Callie’s bright red sofa… breathless and staring into each other’s eyes.

***

Callie awoke to soft breathing on her neck, she peeked an eye open to see the sleeping blonde next to her. She inhaled the other woman’s scent, hints of vanilla and lavender, mixed with Callie’s own perfume. It was nice waking up to someone who didn’t smell like syrup or fruit roll-ups.

It was the second morning in a row she’d woken up in bed with Arizona Robbins (third time altogether if she counted the other Arizona in the other universe), but it was the first time she had been awake first. She propped herself up on her elbow and took the moment to watch the other woman sleep. Callie’s intense gaze traced every inch of other woman, her face soft and peaceful in slumber. With every breath the blonde took a hair moved back and forth, tickling Arizona’s nose causing it to crinkle in the most adorable way. As cute as Callie thought that was, she wasn’t ready for the other woman to wake just yet, so she carefully moved the errant hair aside and continued watching.

Eventually, Arizona’s breathing changed and her eyes fluttered open. For a brief moment Callie thought of pretending she hadn’t been staring, but couldn’t bring herself to look away from the sleepy blue orbs that were now staring back at her.

“Good morning,” Callie said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm, yes. Your bed is perfect. It’s like sleeping on a cloud. A big white fluffy cloud, and… and you know those paintings with angels sitting on the clouds?” At Callie’s affirmative nod, Arizona continued to babble. “You are the angel.”

Callie’s smile grew, “So I’m an angel, huh?”

Arizona’s expression changed from sleepy to playful and mischievous in a flash, “A little bit angel _and_ a little bit devil. If there is one thing I’ve learned about you this weekend, it’s that you are really, really good at being bad.”

“Mmhmm, sometimes I can be very bad,” Callie leaned in for a kiss. She pulled back from Arizona’s lips and sighed.  “I could get used to this. Waking up with you.”

“Me too.”

“You want to get dressed, go down to SerenDRIPity for breakfast?” Callie asked. “They have French toast on Sundays.”

“Oooh, I love French toast,” Arizona scooted in a little closer to Callie and snuggled her head up under Callie’s chin and traced her fingers along the brunette’s collarbone. “Do they have bacon?”

“You know it,” Callie replied.

“I’m in,” Arizona agreed, but made no effort to move.

“You realize we will have to get out of bed for this.”

“And now I’m reconsidering.”

***

After finally getting out of bed, then getting out of the house, both women were sipping their coffees in a private corner of SerenDRIPity, waiting for their breakfast to arrive. Callie was trying to solve a Sudoku puzzle and Arizona was catching up on some emails on her laptop. They didn’t look like a couple on their ‘first date’, they looked like a longtime happy couple enjoying a lazy Sunday brunch.

Arizona’s laptop beeped, causing Callie to look up from her puzzle.

“It’s a Skype call from my friend Nick, he’s in Tibet.”

“Take it,” Callie replied. She looked around the small coffee shop where there was only one other patron, and they had on headphones. “We are practically alone.”

Arizona quickly accepted the call and Nick’s smiling face popped up on the screen.

“Phoenix! How ya been?”

“I’m great, Nick,” Arizona’s eye flicked over the laptop and met Callie’s eyes. “Life has been very good to me lately,” she looked back down at her screen. “How about you? Tibet treating you well?”

“Tibet has been fantastic, as always.” Nick’s eyes moved around the screen, “Where are you, that doesn’t look like your apartment?”

“I’m having coffee… with a friend.”

“And I’m interrupting? I promise I’ll let you go, but first… I have news, Yuma Robbins, big news. I got my five year scans…”

“And, what? Nick, don’t leave me hanging.”

“Cancer free, baby!”

“Yay, that’s fantastic!”

“Yeah, I don’t know what I would have done if it hadn’t been for you and Tim,” Nick said. “Actually, I do… I probably would have went the alternative medicine route and been dead by now. So… I just, I wanted to thank you for being you… and now I’ll let you go so you can get back to your coffee date.”

“I said I was with a friend, how did you know it was a date?”

“Because you can’t stop looking over the top of your computer at the person sitting opposite you. I know your smitten face, Tucson.”

“Do you want to meet her? Callie, come here.” Arizona motioned for Callie to join her in front of the laptop.

Arizona introduced Callie and Nick, with a quick warning from Arizona to Nick to ‘be nice and not to tease’- which he promptly ignored.

“How did you guys meet?” Nick asked.

“At the hospital,” Arizona took Callie’s hand in her own. “Callie’s a surgeon there too.”

“Oh, nice, coworkers… that’s never complicated.”

“Nick,” Arizona warned. “Stop that.”

“Relax, Flagstaff. I promise not to scare her off. You aren’t easily spooked, are you Callie?”

“No. I’m not, you can give it your best shot, but I promise you can’t run me off.”

“I like a challenge,” Nick laughed.

“I don’t,” Arizona interrupted. “Nick if you don’t stop, I’m ending this call right now. This is our first date, Callie shouldn’t have to put up with…”

“Did she tell you she was married?” Nick blurted. “To a man.”

“So was I,” Callie said defiantly. “Still am, actually.” Arizona burst out laughing at the look on Nick’s face.

“Oh… well… that kind of takes the wind out my declaration.”

“Nick and I got fake married when we were 10,” Arizona explained. “He pulls that story out to intimidate women I introduce him to. It’s kind of getting old, he needs a new shtick.”

“Please,” Nick protested. “She never introduces me to women. You should feel privileged, Dr. Callie.”

The three chatted until the breakfast arrived, and Nick ended the call with promise of a visit in the future.

“Tell me about Nick,” Callie asked. “You seem close.”

“He was Tim’s best friend growing up, and mine too by default. Five years ago, they found a tumor in his spine,” Arizona shook her head. “He wanted to treat it with naturopathy, with some idiot quack. Can you believe that? Tim took leave and flew right over there and knocked some sense into him.”

“Sounds like he’s lucky to have you guys.”

“Mmhmm,” Arizona nodded as took a big syrupy bite of her French toast, when she was finished chewing, she said, “we’ve been stressing about those scans for months now. You know how important the five year mark is in recovery and the chance of recurrence.”

“Of course,” Callie smiled. “So, you guys were married, huh?”

“Yep, he was the last boy I ever kissed.”

***

They stood beside Arizona’s car in the driveway and made-out like teenagers. Neither wanted Arizona to leave, but Owen was due at any moment with the kids. They reluctantly pulled apart, with promises of lunch and to unpause their first date on Wednesday.

Callie stayed in the driveway as Arizona pulled out, and before she even turned to enter the house Owen’s truck pulled up.

Callie helped Owen get the children out of their seats, and they all entered the house together. The boys immediately taking of for their room, because they ‘missed their toys’, and Allegra took off to hers to put her stuff away.

Suddenly alone, Callie and Owen stood awkwardly in the kitchen. Owen cleared his throat, “Was uh… that Robbin’s car I saw leaving?”

“It was,” Callie challenged. “We spent the day together… the whole weekend actually.”

“I think that’s… nice,” Owen replied. “I’m happy for you, Callie. You don’t have to hide her from me.”

“Thank you, Owen… that means a lot to me” Callie relaxed. Owen knowing she was interested in Arizona and actually seeing them forming a relationship were two different things. She was relieved he wouldn’t be touchy about it. “How are things with Yang?”

“Um, intense,” Owen chuckled.

“I can only imagine,” Callie smiled. “Wow, look at us… being adults about this, talking about our new… people.”

“What about them?” Owen looked to the stairs to indicate the children. “When should we…”

“I think we wait, right? I don’t want to scare them away.”

“They’re children, Callie, they won’t go anywhere…”

“I was talking about Arizona and Cristina.”

“Right,” Owen realized what Callie was saying. “Good plan.”

“Yeah, we make them fall in love with us, then unleash the child madness.” Shouts from the boys fighting over a toy, suddenly filled the previously peaceful environment. “Speaking of madness…”

“I’m going to head out, let you handle that.”

“Gee, thanks,” Callie mocked punched Owen in the shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Owen.”

Owen let himself out and Callie headed up the stairs, “Alright, alright… what’s going on up here.”

A chorus of ‘he started it’ filled the air. Callie’s perfect first date weekend had come to end, she stepped out of date bubble and directly into real-life. She knew it was soon, but she couldn’t wait to merge the two.


	14. Chapter 14

Arizona was counting the hours until she could return to the pretty pink first date bubble with Callie. It was longest Monday and Tuesday of her life. Okay, she was possibly being over dramatic, but things were still slow this week. She could do simple appies with her fingers taped, but she wasn’t confident enough for anything more complicated, despite what she told Ellis. Luckily, the conjoined twin surgery was still 3 weeks away and prep wouldn’t start until next week. She took more x-rays of her finger and went over them with Dr. Kepner, who was technically her treating physician for the injury. They both agreed the tape could be removed the following week and that the small fracture was almost fully mended.

She was still avoiding Sam, which she needed to correct soon as she was part of the group going to Boise. Arizona didn’t want personal issues to mar this case, so she would need to suck it up and talk things out with Dr. Wylie. _Or_ , she could just pretend like nothing happened and hope Sam would do the same.

***

Wednesday finally rolled around and Callie and Arizona decided to meet after work at Joe’s. Have some dinner, throw some darts, and see where the night took them. Continue their first date.

Food and drinks ordered, the two women caught each other up on their days. Callie was currently examining the newly taped up fingers of the blonde surgeon, who was reaching across the booth to put them on display.

“Kepner thinks we can get rid of the tape altogether next week,” Arizona explained. “Just in time for my scheduled trial run through of the twin surgery. I’ll have a day, maybe two to practice before.”

“You’ll do fine, your fingers are very talented, and your surgical skills will bounce back in no time.” Callie winked. Arizona blushed and pulled her hand back as the server sat their drinks on the table. “Oh, I have a message for you, from Mark Sloan,” Callie added when the server left them alone.

“He’s back?”

“No, he’s still in Los Angeles. He said he was going through your surgical plan for the twins, and he has a few minor tweaks he wants to make plastics-wise, nothing big, but he’ll talk to you about it when he gets back. Which… will be sometime this weekend.”

“You talked to Mark on the phone?” Arizona asked, she tried to be nonchalant. “I didn’t know you were that close to him.”

“I’m not, I… wait,” Callie studied Arizona’s face, who for her part tried to look aloof. “Are you jealous?”

“No,” Arizona’s reply was less than convincing. “I’m not… I just… he’s… tall… and you are tall… and I’m not that tall, and I kind of thought you might be interested in going back to someone tall…”

“Arizona, what are you talking about?”

“I have no idea,” Arizona sighed. “I think I am kind of jealous. I’m sorry. We aren’t even… You can do what you…”

“Arizona?”

“Yes?”

“First of all, it was a phone call, not a date,” Callie chuckled. “And second, I talked to Addison, not Mark. I’m not interested in Mark, and I’m certainly not interested in Addison… who is also tall. She’s too high maintenance. I like you, Arizona…. This past weekend didn’t convince you of that?”

“Of course it did, Callie,” Arizona quickly added. “I just… we didn’t discuss exclusivity and I feel strangely threatened by him… like I need to hit him with a brick. It’s weird… I don’t know why I feel this way. I’m not normally the jealous type, I swear. But… but I feel like if I leave for you just a second, he’s going to swoop in and snatch you up. Not… not that I own you, and… and if you want him, I wouldn’t stop you,” Arizona babbled. Her face contorted as she thought about what she just said, “No… that’s a lie, I would totally stop you. He’s not the person you were meant to be with. Because I am. Right now is our time, okay? So just say no…. to Mark.”

Callie couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face, “ _You_ are adorable,” she had an idea why Arizona had these feelings of jealousy toward Mark, she assumed it was some sort of bleed through from the other universe, where somehow or another she ended up pregnant by Mark, but over here… in this verse? Arizona had nothing to worry about, Callie wouldn’t be getting anywhere near Mark or his sperm. Her body gave an involuntary shudder at the thought. “Put your brick away, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, thank god,” Arizona sighed. “Mark is one of those boob staring guys… the kind I’ve always tried to avoid. You know the type, they start at the face, but somewhere along the way they get distracted and end up at the boobs…. the only person I want staring at my boobs is you.”

“I’m glad I’m allowed to stare, ‘cause they’re good boobs.” Callie replied. “But… yeah.  I don’t want him staring at my girlfriend’s boobs either. Or mine.”

Arizona was about to respond, but was interrupted by a bubbly, slightly tipsy, April Kepner.

“Dr. Torres! Dr. Robbins! It’s so good to see you two outside of the hospital,” She swayed and splashed a little bit of her drink on the floor. She didn’t even notice. “I’m out celebrating passing my boards. By myself. Alone,” April sighed. “Because no one else will talk to me… because I slept with my best friend’s guy and now she only talks to Cristina Yang and McDreary. So here I am. Just me. Alone.”

“Yeah, we get it,” Callie smiled impatiently. She wanted to be all by herself, alone… with Arizona. They didn’t have time for a third wheel. “Well then, congratulations on passing your boards, Kepner. Enjoy your evening.”

“Do you mind if I?” Completely missing Callie’s dismissal, she pulled a chair up to the booth and joined the two women. Callie and Arizona shared a look, Arizona seemed sympathetic, so Callie sighed and gestured for the tipsy woman to sit, then motioned to the server to bring more alcohol, if she was spending the evening with a drunk April Kepner instead of reveling in the first date bubble with Arizona, she was going to need more booze.

April had been going on and on about her problems for the better part of half an hour, Callie and Arizona had received their appetizer and were waiting on the entrée, when Arizona slipped out of the booth to get more drinks from the bar.

As soon as Arizona was out of earshot, Callie leaned in close to April and whispered, “Kepner… are we friends?” She didn’t want to upset Arizona, but she wanted their night to be just them, on a date… no drunk residents invited.

“I’d like to think so, Dr. Torres,” April replied.

“Okay, then I need two things from you: one, call me Callie… two, go away I’m on a date.”

“Oh my… I’m so sorry… wait, you are on a date? With who?” April looked around trying to figure out who Callie was supposed to be on a date with. All she saw was Dr. Robbins retuning with more drinks.

Arizona slid back into the booth before Callie could set the confused redhead straight.

“Dr. Robbins, I think we should go sit at another table,” April tried to grab Arizona’s hand. “Callie,” April turned and smiled at the exasperated brunette, “wants us to leave, because she is on a date.”

“Oh, really?” Arizona laughed. “She told you that?”

April nodded drunkenly, “She wants to be alone with this person, but I haven’t seen anyone…” she looked back and forth between the two women, then down at the appetizer they’d been sharing. “Wait,” her face contorted trying to put the clues together, they were right there she just needed to, “Oh! You… you two,” she pointed at them both, “are on a date?”

Callie reached across the table and grabbed Arizona’s hand, “We are.” Arizona just nodded and took a sip of her beer.

“Huh,” April said. She pointed at Callie, “No, no… you were married. To a man!”

“And we are divorcing, you know this,” Callie said.

“So wait… are you gay now? How does…. Have you always been? You like _just_ girls or….? No, you have three children, so obviously at some point you really liked boy parts…”

“Kepner… Kepner,” Callie got the other woman’s attention before she said something too inappropriate. “Get out of my vagina.”

Arizona tried to stifle her giggled, but failed miserably.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your date,” drunk April eventually said, over her initial shock at the two women being on a date, and suddenly emotional. “I just… I’m never going to find this.” She gestured between them. “You guys obviously _really_ like each other and… Alex doesn’t like me anymore and Meredith hates me and I’m so sad.”

“Hey, April, it’s okay,” Arizona reassured. She patted the redhead on the shoulder.  “You’ll find the person that was meant for you. They’re out there, I promise. You don’t need to try so hard, sometimes they just walk up and…”

“April?”

She jumped when she heard her name, but turned to look up at the man who finally worked up the courage to come talk to her. “Jackson?”

“I uh…” he smiled. “I wanted to come over and congratulate you for passing your boards… and maybe see if you’d want to have a drink with me?”

“Oh… uh,” April stuttered. “Yeah… a drink… I could do that.”

“I think she’s had enough to drink, Dr. Avery,” Callie interjected. “But, maybe you could buy her some food?”

“Yeah, and order her some water,” Arizona added. “She needs to hydrate.”

April and Jackson left to find their own booth just as Callie and Arizona’s dinner arrived.

“You think she’ll be okay with him?” Arizona asked. “You don’t think he’d take advantage?”

“No, no… I think those two will be fine,” Callie replied. “I think he’s been a good friend to her lately, and that’s just what she needs.”

***

After finishing their meal, Callie and Arizona were walking back toward the hospital parking lot to retrieve their cars, Callie pointed toward a building just down the street from the Emerald City Bar.

“I think Cristina Yang lives there,” Callie said. “Owen said she lives right across from the hospital, it’s how she’s always there first when someone pages. Kind of brilliant, actually. Not as brilliant as me sleeping in the hospital basement.”

“Oh, yeah. I wish something had been available in that building when I was looking,” Arizona stopped walking. "Did you say sleeping in the basement?" 

“I did,” Callie chuckled. “How about we go back to your place and I tell you all about the time the Chief Grey’s husband walked in on me dancing in my underwear. It’s a tale of epic humiliation, after which I’ll need some serious comforting in the form of kisses.”

Arizona bit at her bottom lip, and looked longingly at Cristina’s building. “Ugh, why does my apartment have to be so far…?”

“Well, my house is closer, but did you pack a bag like I did?”

“Of course I did, Calliope. We have to work tomorrow and there was no way I wasn’t spending the night with you, wherever we ended up.”

“Mine it is then.”

***

The days rolled by and things were great for Callie and Arizona at work: they lunched, stole kisses in stairwells, and sought each other out at every opportunity, but at the end of the day, when Callie had the kids, she was gone and Arizona was alone.

It was a busy time for her, sure, but Arizona still felt an unsettling emptiness that she could only shake in the other woman’s presence. It had been almost a full month since their first night together, of course they were both on pain medication and it wasn’t actually a date so much as it was her babysitting the concussed brunette, but Arizona thought of that night as their start. The start of something special.

Since then, things had moved quickly. Two full weeks had passed since their perfect first date weekend, which bled through into a flawless (unless you counted the April interruption) Wednesday date, followed by a lonely weekend spent going over surgical plans while Callie had the kids, then another awesome date the night before last, spent entirely at Arizona’s apartment.

The Friday morning surgical walkthrough had taken so long, that the core team had missed lunch, which is how Arizona found herself in the hospital cafeteria with Mark as her unlikely lunch companion.

“So you and Torres are a thing now I hear,” Mark remarked as they sat down together. He picked up his apple and took a large bite while he waited for Arizona to respond.

“Maybe,” Arizona took a bite of carrot, “What exactly have you heard?”

“You know… this and that,” he waved his apple back and forth not elaborating.

Arizona wasn’t going to give anything away, so she simply replied. “I can confirm that we’ve engaged in some of ‘this’ but if you want to know about ‘that’ you are out of luck. I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Callie does, though,” Mark smirked. “Kiss and tell.”

“She told you?” Arizona’s face reddened and for the first time since they’d started dating she felt anger toward the overly chatty brunette.

“Sadly, no,” Mark admitted after letting Arizona squirm for a minute. “She talked to Addison about you. All I heard was something about kissing a peds’ surgeon before Addie kicked me out of the room.”

“Oh, well, that’s different,” Arizona replied, her relief obvious. She still couldn’t figure out what it was about this man that made her feel so… irritated.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Arizona trying to forcefully will her annoyance to dissipate. Mark kept staring at her like he wanted to say more, but she refused to make eye contact until she was damn good and ready.

When she finally looked up she saw Samantha Wylie approaching the table, “Crap,” she sighed.

“Do you mind if I join you guys?” Sam asked.

“Of course not, Dr. Wylie,” Mark laid on the charm, “There is always room at my table for beautiful…”

“I’m gay, Dr. Sloan,” Sam interrupted. “You can take it down a notch.”

“Really?” Mark smiled and sat up straighter in his chair. “Interesting. Were you two ever?”

“Um, none of your business,” Arizona’s face contorted in exasperation, her irritation returning with a vengeance.

“I’m not Arizona’s type, apparently,” Sam said. “I’m not married-with-children enough.”

“Sam, that’s unfair,” Arizona responded. “This isn’t the time or place for this discussion.”

“Oh, lighten up, I was only kidding,” Sam insisted. “You can take a joke, right? Your instant family hasn’t sucked all the fun out you has it?”

Mark sat back in his chair and watched the two women interact, it didn’t take him long to figure out that there were some unresolved feelings floating about, at least on Dr. Wylie’s part. Arizona alone, wasn’t giving any good information, but this Sam person could possibly prompt some juicy details from the blonde. He took a bite of his apple and waited.

“It’s not like that, Sam, those kids have a father. I’m not… they aren’t _my family._ Callie and I have only been… doing what we are doing, for a few weeks. We aren’t… there yet. I haven’t even…”

“You haven’t what?” Sam asked, her eyebrows rose high on her forehead as she waited for Arizona to answer. When Arizona didn’t respond, Sam’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Mark asked, his curiosity peaked.

“She won’t bring you around them will she?” Sam triumphantly asked.

“That’s not true,” Arizona denied. “We’re just new.”

Mark couldn’t get a read on Arizona expression. Did she look… sad? Mad? Hurt. She definitely looked hurt.

“Or, you just don’t mean as much to her as she does to you,” Sam replied. “I told you this was trouble, Arizona. She won’t even let you see her kids.”

“Of course I’ve _seen_ them, but…” Arizona replied weakly.

“She hasn’t officially introduced them to you,” Mark surmised. He scratched at the greying scruff on his chin. Where Sam was obviously taking pleasure from Arizona’s discomfort, Mark felt for the blonde. “Well, I wouldn’t read too much into it. You’ve only been on a few dates, it’s not like you’re in a relationship or anything. Maybe she’ll introduce you to them when you are actual girlfriends.”

Arizona’s appetite was suddenly gone, she picked up her tray and left without saying another word.

“I told her,” Sam shrugged. “Getting involved in that mess is a mistake.”

***

Callie couldn’t wait to get home, it was Friday night, Owen had the kids, and Arizona was coming over later to spend the weekend. She weaved in and out of Seattle traffic as she flipped through her favorite stations on the radio. Finally settling on a song, Callie sang along with the radio, her joy at the upcoming weekend’s activities bubbling over. She was thinking about the new lingerie that she’d purchased for Arizona’s visit later, and how she hoped to have time to shower and change before Arizona arrived with dinner. She turned the corner and pulled onto her street to find the subject of her musings waiting on her porch, her car already parked in the driveway. Callie could tell from both the woman’s posture and the pacing back and forth, that she was upset.

Callie quickly pulled her car in beside Arizona’s in the driveway, not even bothering with the garage. She grabbed her stuff and rushed to get to the pacing woman on her porch.

“Arizona?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Can we, uh… go inside?” Arizona wanted to clear things up with Callie, but not on Callie’s front porch.

“Sure,” Callie replied. She was suddenly worried, she opened the front door and let them in, quickly punching the code into the alarm system.

Arizona walked on through the foyer, and went straight to the kitchen and continued her pacing there.

“Arizona?” Callie prompted the other woman to speak, but Arizona was working her bottom lip with her teeth and failed to respond. “You’re scaring me, talk to me… please.”

“I’m sorry,” Arizona finally exhaled. “I just… what are we doing?”

“Uh,” Callie swallowed, not sure what the blonde was getting at. “We were supposed to be having dinner and watching a movie tonight.”

“No,” Arizona quickly corrected. “I don't mean tonight, I mean.... Last week at Joe's you called me your girlfriend. You said you didn't want Mark staring at your girlfriend's boobs and you were talking about me, right?”

“Of course I was talking about you, Arizona… what…?”

“I didn't know if we were girlfriends, but then, you said "girlfriend." You called me your girlfriend, so I need to know,” Arizona took a deep breath. “Am I your girlfriend?”

“Well, yeah,” Callie responded.

“Okay good...good.” Arizona replied. She still seemed distracted, as though she had more to say.

“Unless you think it’s too soon?”

“Um, well...” Arizona continued as if she didn’t even hear Callie’s question. “How come," she took another deep breath and shook her head.

Callie suddenly aware of the seriousness of what Arizona was trying to say, stepped up and took the blondes face gently in her hands, “Hey, it’s okay… whatever you have to ask me just ask me. I’m not going anywhere unless you want me too.”

Arizona looked into Callie’s eyes and knew it was safe for her to ask, “Why haven't you introduced me to your kids? Are you ashamed of me?”

“God no, Arizona… no,” Callie could have laughed if it weren’t for the earnestness with which the other woman looked back at her. “I…  I didn't want to scare _you_ away. They are a lot to take, and… I just, I wanted you to myself for awhile. I didn’t mean to make you think…” She pulled Arizona into a tight hug, only releasing her when she felt the other woman’s tension release.

Arizona licked her lips, visibly relieved. “I’m sorry, Callie it’s just Sam said something at lunch today and then Mark and… it got me thinking all sorts of crazy things.”

“I don’t think Sam has the most altruistic of motives,” Callie grumbled. “And Mark knows nothing about me, please, please stop worrying about him, okay?”

Arizona just nodded her head.

“I’m sorry if any of my actions allowed this to become an issue,” Callie said. “Do you… do you _want_ to meet them?”

“I don’t know, maybe?”

“Arizona, if it would make you happy to meet my children now, it would make me happy to introduce you to them. I didn’t want to push.”

“Yeah, but… do you think I should?”

This time Callie didn’t suppress the smile, “I would love you to meet my kids,” she replied. “But not this weekend.”

“Want me all to yourself, do you?” Arizona raised her eyebrow suggestively.

“You know it, but also… Owen and his mother are taking them to their family cabin in the woods. I was never a fan of ‘roughing it’ so we didn’t go much,” Callie went to the other side of the kitchen island and opened the cabinet and grabbed some wine glasses. “Do you want some wine?”

“White, please.”

“Anyway,” Callie continued where she left off. “The kids love the cabin, so they won’t be back until late Sunday evening. He was going to take a few vacation days, but Ellis wouldn’t let him.” Callie handed Arizona her wine, and they both took a seat on the barstools to finish their chat. “The new Head of Cardio, Teddy Altman, is starting Monday. And then you guys are leaving for Boise late Tuesday.”

“Actually, it will be Wednesday morning, but super early- 4 am. Might as well be Tuesday night, though. If all goes well, we should be home in plenty of time for the residents to get to Ellis’ dinner.”

“I don’t know why she had to plan that the same day,” Callie took a sip of her red wine.

“I think she just likes making other people’s lives more difficult.”

“Yep, it’s a power play,” Callie said. “You are doing something special and groundbreaking that day, but she has to wield her authority just enough to prove she still has more power than you. Thus, making you have to have the residents home for her special end-of-residency dinner… probably so she can yell at you if you have them back late.”

“Well, I’m the daughter of a Marine, I’m never late,” Arizona replied. “She’ll get no such satisfaction from me.”

“As your _girlfriend_ , let me just say,” Callie scooted closer to the blonde. “I’d better be the only person you are satisfying these days.”

“Oh my god, Calliope, you just made me think of Ellis and sex in the same thought,” Arizona winced. “Fix it, fix it!”

“Okay, let’s see if I can make you forget about Ellis, hmm?” she leaned in and captured the other woman’s lips in a heated kiss.

When she finally pulled back, Arizona said, “What were we talking about?”

***                                                                                                                               

Later that evening, after changing out of their work clothes, Callie and Arizona moved the date to the family room, Callie was seated on the couch running her fingers though the silky blonde locks of the woman who was seated in front of her on the floor.

“We got distracted earlier,” Callie said softly. “Can we talk a little more? About the kids? And you… and us…?”

Arizona laid her head back and looked straight up at the woman above her. “I always want to talk to you, Callie.”

Callie bent down and kissed her on the tip of the nose, “Okay.” She patted the couch in front of her, silently asking Arizona to join her. Once Arizona climbed onto the couch, she adjusted them so that Arizona was perfectly situated in front of her and Callie could act as the big spoon.

“So, you want to meet the kids when you get back from Boise?”

“I want to meet the kids when you are ready for me to meet them, and they are ready to meet me,” Arizona sighed. “I’m sorry I let Sam get to me. We shouldn’t rush that. My relationship with your children can wait.”

Callie couldn’t help the hitch in her breath at Arizona’s mention of relationship with her children. She knew Arizona had the potential to be a good mother, she’d witnessed it firsthand, but the thought of Arizona having a relationship, of any sort, with _her_ children made her heart beat faster in her chest. “How about… for now, you just be their friend? No pressure.”

“Will I just be your friend too? Or…”

“They’re so young, Arizona. BoGo are only two and Allie is barely four. They won’t understand much. We’ll just introduce you and we don’t need to act any different around them.”

Arizona turned so that she was now face-to-face with Callie. “I can still kiss you?”

“Sure, not like hot… hot make outs or anything, but sure. Kissing is fine. Hugging is fine. Hand-holding… is fine. As a matter of fact, all of those things are encouraged.”

“Okay, so then I’ll just be ‘Arizona’, mommy’s kissing, hugging, hand-holding friend.”

“Is that okay with you?” Callie brushed aside a piece of Arizona’s hair.

“Yeah, I mean…” Arizona shrugged. “We’ve only technically been girlfriends for about an hour.”

“Hmm, an hour for you, but I called you my girlfriend last week. I win.”

“You do win,” Arizona leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. “Callie, I have to tell you… I’ve… I’ve never moved this fast with someone before,” she admitted. “I’m going against everything I’ve ever learned or… done before. And that scares me, but when I’m with you… there is this sense of peace and… belonging. I can’t not be with you. I don’t want to wait an appropriate amount of time. I want you, I want to be with you, and I want… us to be a thing.”

“We are so much more than a thing, Arizona. You have no idea.”

“I think I do, Callie. I feel it too. We are going to be something, you and I.”

***

Monday morning rolled around quickly for the two women. After spending a quiet evening in on Friday, they went out dancing Saturday night, then back to their new favorite brunch spot, SerenDRIPidy, on Sunday.

First on Ellis’ agenda was introducing Teddy to the group of attending surgeons at the Monday morning staff meeting. Teddy signed a one year contract and would be heading up cardiothoracic surgery. A few eyes flicked toward Callie to see her reaction to not receiving the position after having run it herself straight out of her fellowship for the past few months. Callie just smiled, giving nothing away.

After the introductions were made Ellis turned to Arizona for a rundown on the conjoined twin surgery.

“My team is ready, we had our fist walkthrough on Friday and it went well, I plan one more tomorrow morning, then I’m letting everyone go early for the day to rest up for such an early start Wednesday morning,” Arizona replied confidently. “I’m taking two residents, Yang and Webber, per your request. Drs. Shepherd, Wylie, Sloan, and I, will compose the rest of the team. Our flight leaves at 4 AM and the surgery is set to start by seven. Barring any unforeseen complications we should be back in Seattle by 6 PM, just in time for Yang and Webber to attend your dinner.”

Callie could barely keep her eyes off of the blonde while she spoke, and when she did glance away, she noticed she wasn’t the only one mesmerized. Sam Wylie was staring too. Callie figured they had a conversation coming, nothing confrontational, just a nice simple polite ‘back-off’ would do. Unless Sam does something else to warrant a little more severe reaction.

“Torres?” Ellis snapped Callie out of her thoughts and back into the staff meeting. “Just because you are no longer Acting Head, doesn’t mean I don’t want you innovating. As a matter of fact, I expect more from you now. You think outside the box and that’s an asset to us.”

Arizona reached under the table and gently squeezed the hand of the woman sitting next to her. She was proud of Callie, and happy that Ellis was showing her some admiration after taking the department head position away.

“Thank you, Chief Grey,” Callie responded. “I’m currently researching a way to treat atrial fibrillation less invasively. The current surgery works well, but is very complicated and the patient has to go on bypass. There is so much new technology available that has only been developed in the past ten years, I think it’s now possible to simplify the procedure.”

“That’s what I’m talking about, Torres,” Ellis replied. “Keep it up and you’ll have a Harper Avery on your shelf before too long. Write up your findings and let’s see what we can do.”

The meeting went on as usual, each department reporting to Ellis, until the meeting was finally adjourned and the surgeons left to start rounds.

Callie and Arizona were walking down the corridor together when someone shouted Callie’s name from behind them.

“Dr. Torres, could you wait a second,” the tall thin Dr. Altman called out. “Dr. Hunt was supposed to show me around, but he got paged. Would you mind?”

“No, of course not,” Callie smiled awkwardly. “This is uh… Dr. Robbins, and I’m… well you know who I am. You are my boss, and… my soon-to-be ex-husband’s… friend?”

“Friend, yes… that’s all we ever were and yeah, I’m afraid I do know quite a lot about you… personally, but it doesn’t have to be awkward. I’m professional, I swear.”

“Okay,” Callie sighed, visibly relieved. “Why don’t we start with you calling me, Callie?”

“And you can call me, Teddy.”

“Oh… I’m Arizona,” the blonde interjected, she held her hand out for the other woman to shake. “I’m the Chief of Pediatric surgery. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Teddy smiled. “It’s really hard, starting a new position. Not knowing anyone in the city.”

“We should all go out!” Arizona blurted. “Do a ladies night sometime. You can get to know everyone, it’ll be fun.” Arizona looked back and forth between the other two women. “Fun?”

“Sure, fun,” Teddy’s eyebrows raised and she looked over to Callie, who was just smiling goofily at the blonde.

“I gotta run, Karev has started rounds for me this morning, I have to go minimize the damage,” She winked at Callie. “Again, nice meeting Teddy. When I get back from Boise… girls night.” And off she went.

“Wow,” Teddy looked back at Callie. “She’s… perky.”

“She’s amazing,” Callie said, as she watched the blonde walk away. “We’re dating, by the way.”

“You and…” Teddy pointed in the direction that Arizona left. “Dr. Robbins?”

“Yep,” Callie smiled.

“Huh,” Teddy smiled back. “I guess Owen left out a few things during our last conversation.”

“Did he tell you he’s dating a resident?” Callie said, as the two made their way to toward the elevator. “ _Your_ soon to be fellow, actually… Cristina Yang.”

“Wow, that’s going to be so awkward for him: his ex, his current, and the friend he confided in, in secret, all in the same department.”

“I know,” Callie giggled. “It really is.”

***

Wednesday evening came quickly and Callie found herself in her office, working on her proposal for minimally invasive cardio procedures. She hadn’t seen Arizona since yesterday afternoon and it was bothering her more than she liked to admit. She kept herself busy at the hospital for most of the day, but the lack of the other woman’s presence was keenly felt.

Callie had an early lunch with the kids, because Owen’s mother was picking them up that afternoon and she wouldn’t have time to see them before they left if she had waited. Then she had to yell at the residents who were less than enthusiastic about their dinner with the chief, she shook her head thinking about how ungrateful they were being. Though, she had to chuckle at how awkward it would all be. Karev and Kepner barely talking, Jackson with his obvious crush on the oblivious April… and the Twisted Sisters, as they’d become known as lately, all together at Seattle’s fanciest restaurant. Ellis was certainly in for a treat. Her eyes flicked to the clock, it was well past 7 PM, and they should all be enjoying their appetizers right about now.

Her thoughts drifted back to Arizona and she wondered where the other woman was, they hadn’t had a chance to say a proper goodbye before Arizona left, and Callie was really missing her. Their plane was due back more than an hour ago, but nothing.

The door to her office flew open and Owen rushed in.

“Uh, hello?” Callie said. “Ever heard of knocking?”

“I’m sorry, Callie, but this is…” Owen paused, “important.”

“What is?”

“Have you heard from Dr. Robbins, or anyone that went to Boise, at all today?” His face was tight, his lips pinched.

“No, I was just wondering what…” Callie trailed off when she notice the look on Owen’s face. “Owen, what’s going on? What happened?” She stood from her chair and quickly came around to stand in front of her ex-husband. “Tell me what happened,” she demanded.

“Callie,” Owen sighed. He put his hands on her arms to steady her and said, “We have a serious problem.”


	15. Chapter 15

**_Previously_ ** _: “Callie,” Owen sighed. He put his hands on her arms to steady her and said, “We have a serious problem.”_

***

Owen didn’t speak for longest time, causing Callie to jump to all sorts of scary conclusions. The thought of Arizona’s plane crashing being at the top of the list.

“Owen, what?” Callie demanded. “Tell me dammit! You don’t just say something like that and then just stand there...”

“Ellis Grey is dead,” Owen said softly.

Callie closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, she held up her hand to stop Owen from continuing while she composed herself. She was _so_ sure he was going to say something happened to Arizona and the plane, she felt… dizzy and a little bit sick to her stomach. When she got her breathing under control, she opened her eyes. “The plane is okay…?” she breathed. “What… what happened to Chief Grey?”

“The plane is fine, as far as I know,” he looked confused, but continued, “We think Ellis had an aortic aneurysm. It happened at the restaurant. Kepner, Jackson and Karev did everything they could, but she was dead before the ambulance even arrived. They, uh… brought her in, but there was nothing… Teddy called it. Richard is devastated.”

“Oh god, poor Richard,” she said. “What is he going to do without her?”

“I don’t know, he’s become pretty reliant on her over the years.”

“Why did…” She bit at her lip almost afraid to ask, “Why did you ask if I’d heard from Arizona?” Callie couldn’t get the sudden nagging worry for the other woman to go away.

“Because Meredith Webber is on the Boise team and we don’t want her to find out about her mother by accident. Richard wants to tell her himself,” Owen responded. “I mean, can you even imagine?”

“Yeah, Owen,” Callie nodded slightly. “I can.” She thought of her own mother who died suddenly from a heart attack, and how Ellis had been the one to tell her. Callie was a third year resident, she’d been dating Owen off and on for a few months when Ellis called her into the office and told her that her mother was dead. That day changed the shape of her future both personally and professionally. Her mother’s sudden death and the grieving that followed had pushed her closer to the handsome Army surgeon, closer than she thought they would have gotten on their own. It also, with a little push from Ellis, helped her choose her specialty.

In the beginning, Owen was perfect. He swooped in and took on the role of savior, providing Callie with a firm shoulder to cry on. They worked wonderful as a couple when she was needy and he wasn’t, but when the tables were turned, when he came back from his last tour damaged, he wouldn’t allow Callie to step into that role. Whether it was because he didn’t want to be seen as weak, or he was still protecting Callie, or maybe Callie just wasn’t able to be what he needed, the result was the same. The foundation wasn’t strong enough, there wasn’t enough give and take- they crumbled, and Owen sought comfort elsewhere.

Callie often wondered if her mother hadn’t died- if she hadn’t been grieving such a devastating loss- would she have still married him? Most likely she wouldn’t have, and if she followed that train of thought to its finish… it meant that had her mother not died, she wouldn’t have had her three precious babies. Prompting Callie to conclude that her mother and her three children weren’t meant to exist in the same universe.

Owen cringed at his inadvertent reminder, “I’m sorry, Cal, I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean to,” She said quietly, she tried to shake off her sudden funk, “I’m going to try Arizona’s mobile, see if they’ve landed or their flight was delayed.” She quickly rounded her desk again and grabbed her purse. She pulled out her phone and selected Arizona from her contacts. Owen stood by while Callie put the phone to her ear. “It went straight to voicemail,” she said. “Have you tried, Cristina?”

“Yeah. It went straight to…,” before he could finish the sentence, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out quickly to read the text. “It’s her. They’ve just landed.” His fingers flew furiously over the tiny keyboard.

Callie dialed Arizona, again it went straight to voicemail. She sighed in frustration.

“Ask her about Arizona,” Callie said to Owen.

“Okay,” his fingers moving quickly on his phone. While waiting for a response, he said. “I told Cristina and Meredith to come straight to the hospital and to meet me in the conference room, do you want to be there when Teddy and I…”

“No,” Callie adamantly said. “I wasn’t on the case, Owen. Meredith is my student, not my friend. She’ll need friends right now.”

He nodded in agreement and his phone buzzed again. “She said Robbins left as soon as they got off the plane. She just jumped in a cab and was gone.”

“Dammit, why won’t she answer her phone?” Callie sent another text, and tried to call once again.

“Did you guys have plans tonight?” Owen asked. “Maybe she didn’t want to be late?”

“Yeah… yeah, she was supposed to come over,” Callie said. “I’d better head home, see if she went there.”

“Okay, I’d better,” he pointed toward the door. “Shouldn’t take them long to get here from the airport.”

“Good luck with that,” Callie said. “I don’t envy you right now.”

“I hope you and Robbins have a good night too.”

***

Callie was in the parking lot heading to her car, seemingly alone, when she suddenly felt a presence emerge behind her. Her heart beat faster in her chest, fear tickling her spine. She tried to keep herself steady, not wanting to let the person creeping around behind her know she was aware of them. She carefully slipped her hand into her purse and grabbed the defensive pepper spray she always kept with her. Her father had given it to her for protection when she first moved to Seattle.

The individual behind her shifted causing the small gravel that is ever present on asphalt to crunch, Callie whipped around, mace held out in front of her. “Get back!” She yelled.

“Oh my,” the person held up their hands in surrender. “You wouldn’t mace an old lady would you, Dr. Torres?”

“Ah! Genie!” Callie shouted, her hand going to her chest in shock. “You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here?”

“Checking up on you, dear. Just checking up,” Genie replied. “Are things going well with you and your lady?” she inquired. “You and Dr. Robbins are together?”

Callie looked around, wondering where the woman came from. “Um, yeah,” Callie replied. “You could say things are going well.”

“Will you be with her tonight? All night?”

“I think that’s getting a little personal, but… yeah I hope so,” Callie looked around still wondering where the older woman came from. “If _she_ wants to, that is.”

“Oh… no, that won’t do. You need to be sure,” Genie said. “You _have_ to be with her tonight, _she_ needs you.”

“What?” Callie asked. “I don’t understand?”

“You will, dear,” Genie said cryptically. “You will.”

“I still don’t…” A car alarm going off in another section of the parking lot, caused Callie to turn away for just a moment, the reaction involuntary. When she turned back Genie was gone.

“What the A-fib is going on?”

***

It started raining on her drive home, so Callie pulled her SUV into her garage and entered through the mudroom, behind the kitchen. Her house was dark and quiet and after her run-in with Genie, Callie was a little unsettled. Her nagging worry about Arizona and the plane from before, had been compounded by Genie’s cryptic warning.

She pulled her mobile out of her purse to see if she had any messages- still nothing. Her earlier fear of the plane crashing had been assuaged, but she still couldn’t shake the image of Arizona hurt and alone, desperate for help.  The fact that Arizona wasn’t here and wasn’t answering her phone didn’t help. Callie put her phone on the island and turned the kitchen lights on. She gave a quick check to the rarely used home phone for messages and upon seeing none, she ran upstairs to change. If she had to go out and look for the blonde, she wasn’t doing it in her work clothes.

Callie quickly changed into some yoga pants and a t-shirt, then hurried back downstairs to the phone that she left in the kitchen. She’d barely made it down the small hallway that led to her kitchen when her doorbell sounded, so she turned immediately and went back the way she came.

Callie ripped the door open so fast, she was almost concerned for the hinges. Standing there on her porch, dripping wet, was Arizona. “Thank God,” Callie exhaled.

“Okay, so picture this, I’m on the plane and everything’s great. Everyone was on time and we left right on schedule. Sam was in the seat next to me, and… and she kept going on and on about how you and I were moving too fast, and that your kids don’t need another mother. That they have a mother and a father and why would I even want to be an instant step mother, when I’ve never expressed any desire to have kids of my own. And she was getting to me, you know? It was starting to make me question us, and how fast this is all going and then…,” Arizona swallowed hard and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Callie remained silent, not wanting to interrupt whatever it was the blonde was working up to. Arizona released her breath and continued, “Then, the engine went out on the plane and we started falling from the sky. Like… we were going to crash, Callie, we were going to _die_ and my life flashed before my eyes, but it wasn’t my past… it was my future… and you were _everywhere_. It was all you. When I thought I was going to die, I closed my eyes and all I could see was you… you looked really pretty.”

“Arizona,” Callie breathed out, it was all could manage.

“Jerry -he was our pilot- he got the engine restarted. It was a miracle, Callie,” Arizona laughed. “He got the engine restarted and we were able to make an emergency landing at some small airport outside of Boise. I wanted to call you right away, but I lost my phone in the freefall. We were all kind of in shock, but we got the surgery done. It started a little late, but it went perfectly, they loved us in Boise, and I mean _loved_ us. We were all so happy to be alive, even McDreary was smiling and… I couldn’t wait to see you and tell you…” She paused again and licked her lips. “I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t care if this too fast or too soon… I don’t even care if you don’t say it back. I have to tell you… I love you.”

“You do?” Callie asked.

“I do.” Arizona nodded.

Callie had tears in her eyes as she pulled the other woman into the house and kicked the door shut behind her, “I love you, too.”

***

Callie pulled Arizona into her house and kissed her with such ardency, it left no doubt in Arizona’s mind of the genuineness of Callie’s declaration of love. Not that she doubted it, but had she had the slightest inkling of a doubt… this kiss would have abolished it fully. They finally pulled apart to catch their breath, their foreheads pressed firmly together. “I love you so much,” Callie whispered.

“Me too, me too,” Arizona tugged the brunette into another kiss.

Callie stopped her, “Wait, I have to tell you…” She figured Arizona would want to know about Ellis Grey. Her death effected them all.

Arizona pulled back from the embrace so she could look the other woman in the eyes, “What?” She ran her thumb over Callie’s plump lip, causing her eyes to flutter shut.

“Nothing…” Callie changed her mind, Arizona didn’t need to know right now. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Arizona took Callie by the hand and lead them up the staircase toward Callie’s room.

***

“Oh my god! Ellis is dead? What? I mean… how?” Arizona was sitting at the island in the kitchen eating some leftover mac and cheese that Callie had just finished reheating for them. Neither had eaten since lunch, and their empty stomachs was the only thing that got them out of bed.

“I’m not really sure, I was holed up in my office working on my proposal,” Callie replied. “But, Owen and Teddy are pretty sure she had aortic aneurysm at the restaurant.”

“I can’t believe it,” Arizona shook her head. “Who… What… What is Webber going to do? Who’s going to be chief now?”

“I guess the board will have to pick someone… or hire someone?” Callie replied. “It’s just… all so wrong… Ellis gone… what’s this hospital going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Arizona said.

“Ugh,” Callie groaned. “I don’t even want to think about any of that right now. Tell me about your surgery; you said it went well?”

“Yeah, it did… but,” she tugged on Callie’s robe. “Can we maybe go back upstairs and talk about it? I’m completely spent.” She took her empty bowl and rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher.

“Of course,” Callie quickly finished her food while Arizona took care of her dish, then tossed hers in the machine as well.

“You know… all day I just couldn’t wait to get home to you,” Arizona said as they ascended the stairs. “I kept thinking ‘finish this surgery and I can get home to Callie’…‘get on the plane and I can get home to Callie’ - and that was no easy task after what happened this morning, but I did it… to get home to you. Then we landed and they asked if I wanted a ride to the hospital, I told them no, because I was sure you were finished, that you were home already… and I just wanted to get home to you. So that’s what I did, I came home.”

“Home?” Callie’s eyebrow rose.

“To you.”

***

They each took turns in the bathroom preparing for bed. Arizona finished first and climbed into bed, she loved Callie's bed- it was soft and comfortable and warm and safe... and Sam had attempted to ruin that for her. "Callie?"

"Hmm?" Callie poked her head out of the bathroom, her toothbrush still moving across her teeth.

"Do you think of this as Owen's bed?"

"Whmmt?" She tried to ask over her mouth full of foam. She held her finger up to ask Arizona to wait, and went back into the bathroom to rinse and spit. When she emerged from the bathroom again, she said, "What?"

"Sam said that it was weird… me sleeping in your husband's bed. I mean doesn’t bother me, I'm an adult, I know you were married and what... marriage involves. And I hope you don’t expect that I was chaste. I mean, I’ve had my share of sex, Callie. After Lauren, I kinda went through a phase… I wasn’t into attachments, you know?"

"Okay, I get it,” Callie put her hands up to stop Arizona from saying anymore. “I don’t want or need to know about who… or… how many. But, seriously, Arizona… Sam is on my last nerve. What is her problem? Does she think you need protecting from me? Because I can promise you, you don't. I would never hurt you. I hope you know that."

"I do..." Arizona answered.

"Okay, now that we've established I'm not going to hurt you,” Callie climbed into the bed with Arizona. “I'll answer your question. No, I don't consider this Owen’s bed. None of our kids were conceived here if that's what she's implying... This was never our 'marital bed'. This bed was new, we got it when we moved into this house... just before BoGo were born. And then, for the past year he’s slept in the spare room. And before that he was only ever here sporadically, then never… after the incident."

"The incident?” Arizona took Callie’s hand and linked their fingers. “What…?"

"He had a night terror... a PTSD episode. He uh...” Callie paused, it was still hard to say this out loud. “He choked me, he was asleep and something triggered him. He came out of it before too much damage was done…”

“Damage? Callie, he… he could have killed you!” her anger at the man bubbling up causing her throat to tighten.

“He didn’t. I was fine,” Callie assured the fuming blonde. She put her hand on Arizona’s cheek and brushed her thumb across the spot normally occupied with an adorable dimple. “It was the last time he slept in here. That was almost a year and a half ago... So no, I don't consider this his bed. Not at all."

"I didn’t know any of this!"

"Well, it's not something one shares around the office,” Callie shrugged.

"I heard rumors about things... the resident, the window, but I had no idea he hurt you."

"It wasn't him, he wasn't himself and hadn't been for a long time,” Callie caught herself once again making excuses for Owen’s behavior. It wasn’t her responsibility anymore. She didn’t need to protect him. “I don't want to talk about him or his night terrors anymore.”

“At least you don’t’ have to worry about night terrors with me, that’s a plus in the Arizona column.”

“There are lots of pluses in the Arizona column. You are such an overachiever. I bet you were a perfect student.” Arizona just winked in response. “So, uh… let’s get back to your friend, _Sam_ , for a minute. I want to talk about her and this 'concern' for you."

Arizona expression went from anger to sheepish, "Yeah, about that. She uh… she kissed me,” she hastily blurted.

"She what?"

"Today after we landed safely and I was having my epiphany about you, she was having a similar realization... About me," Arizona explained. “She uh… kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back; all I could think about was you.”

"I'll kill her!"

"Calliope, no. She's not worth it. She's been poo-pooing our relationship from the start, and it hasn't deterred me in the least. You know? I love you," the words felt new on her lips, but right. Oh, so right. "I love you, not her." She leaned in for a kiss.

"Mmm, I love you too," Callie sighed into the kiss.

"So…” Arizona leaned back to properly gauge Callie’s reaction, “No killing of ortho surgeons?"

"No, you know what? I feel sorry for her and her bold presumptuous lips. She doesn't have you... I do. She's lonely and bitter... Like I was before I found you. That’s punishment enough.” Callie leaned in for a kiss but stopped just before allowing their lips to touch. “You don’t mind if my lips are presumptuous do you?”

“Your lips are always welcome, they can be as cheeky as they want,” Arizona’s eyes shut as she tried to close the distance, but Callie pulled back, leaving the blonde’s puckered lips hanging. She peeked open one eye, then the other to see why she failed to make contact with Callie’s full delightful lips.

Callie was looking back at her, eyebrow raised, “Did you just call me… cheeky?”

“No,” Arizona denied. “I called your lips cheeky. Actually, I gave your lips permission to be cheeky.”

“Cheeky?”

“Um… yeah, apparently, I’ve been watching too much British television,” Arizona admitted. “Timothy thinks I need to cut back, but I think he’s talking bollocks.”

“God, you’re a dork,” Callie laughed. She leaned in and claimed the other woman’s lips. “Mmm, that kiss cheeky enough for you?”

“You can snog me like that anytime,” Arizona smiled. She put her hand to her mouth to try and cover a yawn. “I’m exhausted, Callie,” she scooted herself further under the blankets. “Do you mind if I crash?”

“Of course not,” Callie looked at the clock, it was barely nine-thirty. “Do you mind if I read a little?”

“Fine by me, I’ll probably be sleeping like the dead anyway,” Arizona eyes went wide. “Oh… god. That was probably a little insensitive considering what happened today.”

“It’s okay,” Callie said. “No one heard you but me, and I promise not to tell.”

“How ‘bout I change it to… I could sleep for… four days?” Arizona asked. “That’s a little less thoughtless, don’t’ you think?”

“Much better,” Callie grabbed the other woman’s hand and brought it to her lips for a quick kiss. “You sleep tight, I’ll be right here.”

***

Callie had been reading her book for about a forty-five minutes; when she reached a good stopping point, she grabbed her bookmark off the nightstand and nestled it in between the pages. She reached over placed her book on the stand and switched off the small light.

After getting herself all settled in, she snuggled up behind Arizona, taking her favorite spot as the big spoon. Sleep was coming over her quickly as the other woman’s soft breathing lulled her into unconsciousness. Just as she was about to drift off completely, Arizona let out a soft whimper, pulling Callie back from the void. She lifted her head to make sure the other woman was okay and when she was sure Arizona was still out, she kissed the blonde locks, and laid her head back on the pillow.

The next thing she was aware of was screaming, she was forcibly yanked from her slumber by Arizona’s desperate cries.

“Callie,” she sobbed. “Help me.”

Callie immediately sat up and grabbed the flailing woman. She didn’t know what was going on, she wondered if Arizona psyched herself out talking about night terrors earlier or if she was just having a nightmare about the almost plane crash, but whatever it was… it was scaring Callie.

“Arizona, Arizona… sweetheart, I’m right here.”

“The plane crashed. It fucking crashed, Callie. My… leg.” She was sobbing, not making any sense. Her eyes were unfocused, like she wasn’t actually seeing Callie. “Are you really here? I think I’m hallucinating.” She looked around like she didn’t recognize where she was. She was visibly shivering.

“Of course I’m here, look.” She lifted Arizona’s hand and brought it to her face. “See, not a hallucination.”

“Lexie’s dead…”

“Who’s…” Callie started to ask who Lexie was.

“I think Mark might be dead too,” Arizona started weeping again. “It’s so cold, Callie. It’s cold… I’m probably not going to make it either,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. You’ll be all alone. You and Sofia.”

“Sofia?” Callie asked, shocked. “Oh! Oh my god. You… you aren’t my Arizona.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Previously** :

_Genie said. “You have to be with her tonight, she needs you.”_

_***_

_“I think Mark might be dead too,” Arizona started weeping again. “It’s so cold, Callie. It’s cold… I’m probably not going to make it either,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. You’ll be all alone. You and Sofia.”_

_“Sofia?” Callie asked, shocked. “Oh! Oh my god. You… you aren’t my Arizona.”_

_***_

“I shouldn’t be here,” Arizona whimpered. “This isn’t right,” she pulled away from Callie.

Outside the rain was falling harder, tapping noisily against the windowpanes. The bedroom was dark, but for the small amount of moonlight coming through the windows.

“Okay, Arizona, um… look at me…” Callie tried to sooth the other woman, who was still somewhat unfocused. “We’ll, uh…. We’ll get you back to where you belong. Okay?”

“It’s my fault…. I wasn’t supposed to be on the plane!” Arizona’s voiced hitched and quaked as she continued to sob.

“Hey, relax… you are okay. _Right now_ , you’re safe,” Callie reached for the shivering woman, “Arizona, it’s okay…”

“NO! My leg… don’t touch me!” Arizona begged. “It hurts… it...”

“Okay, no touching…” Callie held back. “How about… I switch the light on? Then we’ll take a look at your leg. Nice and slow… no more touching until you are ready. I promise. You trust me, right?”

Arizona nodded in the dark, “Yes.”

Callie reached behind her for the small lamp on her nightstand. She switched it on and turned back to the other woman. Arizona blinked at the sudden intrusion of light.

“See,” Callie said. “Safe. You are safe.” She tried to make eye contact with the blonde, but Arizona was still disoriented.

Arizona slowly became aware of her surroundings, she looked at Callie, her expression one of confusion. Her sobbing slowly subsided, and she wiped at the tear tracks on her face.

“I’m going to lift the covers and we are going to look at your leg. Okay?” Callie said.

Arizona nodded. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Callie slowly lifted the covers to reveal two perfectly healthy legs.

“Open your eyes, sweetheart,” Callie soothed. “Your leg is fine.”

Arizona opened her eyes and looked at her leg, then back up at Callie, “I don’t understand,” she said, breath still heavy from panic.

“I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be able to provide in that department,” Callie admitted. “I don’t think I could explain, even if I wanted to…”

“Was I dreaming? It felt so real… the plane crashed… there was screaming…,” She rubbed her left thigh, “ _I was screaming_ … my leg was a mess.” Arizona looked around finally taking note of the unfamiliar room, “Callie, where are we?”

Callie’s eyes filled with tears, she swallowed hard, “Arizona, I don’t think you were dreaming.”

“Then… what? How…”

“I’m so sorry,” the tears emptied over the brunette’s dark lashes. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Callie, I don’t understand what’s happening…,” Arizona started to panic again at Callie’s tears. “What’s wrong? Please.”

“I uh…,” Callie was at a loss for words. “I’m not sure exactly what’s happening over there… in your… place, but I think I’m meant to help you through it.”

***

“Parallel universe? Callie that’s…,” Arizona shook her head. “That’s crazy! Are you sure I’m not having a psychotic break?”

“No sweetheart, it’s not psychosis,” Callie took the other woman’s hand in her own. They were still in the bed, side by side. “You are in an honest to God parallel… or alternate universe. A whole separate reality. Some things are similar, but others… are not the same at all.”

“You’re sure?” Arizona asked. She bit at her bottom lip as she once again looked around the room. “It seems more likely I’m hallucinating. Probably, something crash related…”

“If you are more comfortable believing that…,” Callie tried.

“I’m not comfortable with any of this Callie!” Arizona growled. She yanked her hand away Callie’s comforting touch and her brows furrowed with the sudden anger. “One minute I’m laying half dead on the side of a fucking mountain…. Lexie is _dead_. Dead!” Anger building as she went. “Mark is dying… Jerry is paralyzed. We have no fire, no water… and… now I’m just what? Lounging in bed with you? In another universe? I’m supposed to just accept that? No… no,” she shook her head in denial, “it’s more likely I have a brain bleed. Or fever… sepsis… something. I… It would easier for me to believe I’m dead and this is…”

“No,” Callie shouted back. “You are not dead. You are not dying. You won’t. I know you won’t die, because…,” she stopped shouting, her sudden burst of ire gone as quickly as it came. “Because…”

“Because? Because what?” Arizona asked. “How do you know?”

“I don’t know how I know, I just do,” Callie honestly replied. “We’re going to grow old together, Arizona Robbins. Me an you,” her brow creased at the complexity of the relationship dynamic, “You and her… other me. You’re going to be okay, you are going to survive this.”

“Intact?”

“What?” Callie was caught off-guard by the question.

“Will I be whole?” Arizona clutched her leg. “Will I still be me?”

“That,” Callie smiled sorrowfully as she grasped what Arizona was asking. “I can’t answer.”

***

“So, is this,” Arizona stood from the bed and wobbled on her legs. Callie reached out to steady the other woman, getting herself up from the bed. “Whoa, I guess… I’ve been laying on the ground all day, or at least my… brain… soul… consciousness has?”

“I don’t know how it works,” Callie interjected.

“But you’re sure it does?”

“I am,” Callie replied.

“Hmm,” Arizona looked around. “Is this our house?” She walked over to Callie’s dresser and picked up a picture of the brunette holding infant twins. Her eyes went wide and she quickly looked back at Callie. “Callie! We have twins? Where are they?” Arizona looked toward the door. “Are they?” She pointed in the direction of the door.

“No… that’s the bathroom,” Callie smiled sadly. She pointed to the other door, the one that actually led to the hallway. “That one takes you to the hall.”

Arizona immediately started toward the door, “They are so blond, did I carry?”

Callie reached out and stopped her. “Um, _we_ don’t have twins. I do. And they aren’t here, they are with their father tonight.”

“Mark,” Arizona sighed. “So, what… I’m nothing? They aren’t mine at all?”

“Owen,” Callie corrected. “Owen, is their father, and you’re everything, just… not yet.”

“Wait… you slept with Owen Hunt when I was in Africa?” Arizona looked horrified. “Cristina is your friend, Callie!”

“No, it’s not… it didn’t happen that way. Owen and I were together… until very recently. We also have a daughter, Allegra, she’s four,” Callie pointed to the photo, “And the boys Angus and Gavin are two now.”

“And we,” she pointed between herself and Callie, “aren’t married?”

“No. We’re… kind of new,” Callie replied.

Arizona closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, “Does your Arizona drink? Because, I could really use some alcohol right now.”

***

Arizona took a couple of huge gulps of wine. “Okay, so we are one hundred percent sure I’m not crazy and/or hallucinating?” They’d moved to Callie’s spacious kitchen; Arizona wandered around looking at photos of Callie and her children, her face unreadable as she took everything in.

“Yes, I promise,” Callie took a sip of her own wine. “I know for a fact that I’m not a hallucination. I guarantee you I won’t stop existing when you go back. I won’t cease to be, and neither will this universe.”

“But… how do you know that?”

Callie sighed, she didn’t want to have to do this, but, “Because,” she sighed, “I’ve been to your side… your reality. I uh, spent a day as your wife. I crossed over after meeting an old lady and she, uh… gave me a magic brownie.” When Arizona didn’t immediately react, Callie urged her to respond, “Arizona, say something…”

“I’m processing,” Arizona dabbed at some unexpected tears. “I need a minute to process.”

“Okay, well… I don’t know how much time we have, we…”

“You… you asked me not to forget you, you…,” Arizona abruptly said, after thinking for a minute. “You wanted me to… tell you our story. The story of us. That was you… Callie didn’t remember that whole day! Oh my god! Derek did every neurological exam available, we did them all. Callie almost checked herself into the psych ward!”

“I’m, uh… really sorry about that,” Callie said, her expression contrite. “I was wondering what she was aware of, if anything. Now I know.”

“So… uh,” Arizona asked. “This ‘magic brownie’…,” she almost laughed at the absurdity, “God, Callie it just… it all sounds so crazy! Like actual insanity!”

“It’s not,” Callie simply replied.

“Okay, so this brownie…,” Arizona managed a straight face, but couldn’t hide her continuing reservations. “It’s not like… a drug brownie is it? Because if that’s the case then that leads me back to thinking you hallucinated after eating a laced brownie.”

“Stop with the hallucinating… it’s not a hallucination. If it were, would that explain you remembering me there, and your Callie not remembering the day I was there, and you here now…”

“Okay, okay… I get it,” Arizona slumped, seemingly accepting Callie’s explanation. “No one is hallucinating. No one is crazy. _But_ … I don’t remember eating a brownie, so how did I get here? And how do… how… How do I get back?”

“Hmm,” Callie bit her lip, she wasn’t sure how the cross was made without a brownie. And the more she talked about the brownie, the crazier she sounded. She knew that, but she also knew what happened to her wasn’t a hallucination. If she’d had any uncertainties before, this visit from Arizona removed all doubt. But, that being said, there was only one way to find out what was actually happening. Ask the expert. “We need to find Genie.”

“A Genie?” Arizona asked. “Like… rub a magic lamp type Genie? Barbara Eden? Callie, this _is_... crazy! You sound crazy."

“I promise I'm not. Genie is... she’s an old lady,” Callie said. “Genie is just her name, not her occupation… at least I don’t think she’s a genie. She’s uh… Actually, I don’t exactly know what she is. She initiated my cross and has checked in with me several times since. Including earlier tonight.”

“Well, do you know how to find her?”

“No…” Callie bit at her lip. “I uh, I have no idea. She usually finds me.”

***

“So, uh… my Callie said she remembered nothing,” Arizona said.

They were now seated at the kitchen island, sipping their wine and trying to figure out what steps they needed to take to make things right. As hard as it was to send the woman back to the middle of a horrid situation, Callie knew it had to be done. She felt it, with her whole being, if this Arizona didn’t return to her rightful place, she would lose her Arizona. And as much as she cared for this woman, she wasn’t hers to love.

“But…,” Arizona continued her thought. “What happened here when you were there? Was she here?”

“I’m not certain…”

“Wait… If I’m here, where is your Arizona? Does me being here, mean she is there,” she swallowed hard, “on that mountain?”

“I’m not sure how it works… about the timing of it all… But I do know that my body was asleep here, so… I’m pretty sure she didn’t cross over,” Callie explained. “I’m hoping it’s the same. That you are… asleep.” ‘And my Arizona is likely lost in limbo,’ she left unsaid.

“More likely unconscious,” Arizona corrected. She visibly trembled as she carried on, “I’m in, well… _my body_ , is in pretty bad shape. It was cold, we were exposed… we had very little water left. ”

“How long have you been there? Her… my Arizona’s plane almost crashed… it was early this morning. Is it the same for you?”

“No… No, I feel like it was yesterday,” she recalled, “I remember thinking I was happy that Mark survived the night… he uh…,” she got a faraway look. Her eyes became unfocused, like she was no longer seeing Callie. “He had a cardiac tamponade. Cristina and Meredith, they used the tube from hairspray or something to drain it. He’s in really bad shape, Callie. I told him… I told him that Sofia was waiting for him. And you were too. We were going home together… that we needed get home to our girls.” She closed her eyes, then continued. “Meredith had an obvious concussion, and a huge gash on her leg. Cristina’s shoulder was dislocated… and I think she lost her shoe.” Her breath hitched as resumed her account, “Poor, Jerry… he’s paralyzed… Cristina tapped him to a board… in his seat, to stabilize him. He’s just stuck there, Callie. In the cockpit of the crashed plane.” Arizona looked at Callie and asked. “Isn’t that just crap?”

Callie just nodded, not able to find words.

“Derek’s hand, it’s really torn up… he’ll be lucky to ever… even if we are rescued, I don’t know how he’ll perform another surgery. Lexie…” Arizona’s voice finally broke, “She uh… died shortly after we crashed, I think… I think she was crushed under part of the plane.”

When Arizona didn’t say anything else, Callie tentatively asked. “What about you?” She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer. Hearing about Mark, who she barely knew, but was fond of, and the others, her coworkers and friends was hard enough, but hearing what Arizona was going through, another story completely. “You said something about your… leg?”

"I uh…,” she hesitated for just a second. “I have an open femoral shaft fracture, Callie. And I’m pretty sure I have a pulmonary embolism. My chest is tight,” she involuntarily rubbed at her chest. “And I keep coughing up blood.”

Callie sucked in her breath, “Arizona.”

“Yeah, it’s not good,” She laughed morosely. “I think the leg already infected. There is dirt and… other stuff ground in. I know every day that we aren’t found…”

“You are going to be found,” Callie said with surety.

“I hope so,” Arizona sighed. She could barely get the words out, “As it is, even if we are found soon… I’m still probably going to lose my leg.” She looked into Callie’s brown eyes. “You’re my only hope. I feel like… if I can just hang on and get home to you… You’ll save me. You’ll make everything okay, and…”

“You mean _your_ Callie… not me.”

“Yes,” Arizona responded, her eyes fluttered closed as she brought up a picture of her own Callie, soft and warm and waiting for her. “My Callie, she’s a rock star, if anyone can save my leg… she can.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone…,” Callie whispered. “Someone who loves you.”

Arizona didn’t reply.

“What if it’s beyond saving?” Callie asked.

“It isn’t,” Arizona said.

“You just said yourself…”

“It isn’t, not yet,” Arizona insisted. “Not for her.”

“Sweetheart…,” Callie moved toward Arizona. "Even a rock star is human, if it's beyond saving..."

“Look,” Arizona held up her hands and stepped back. “I’m not your sweetheart.” She pointed angrily at Callie. “You don’t…. you don’t know anything about me or Callie. She can do it… She is amazing. She can save me.”

“Of course she can,” Callie agreed “But… she might not be able to save your leg.”

“No, no, no,” Arizona shook her head, tears streaming down her face anew. “I can’t. I can’t lose my leg. I can’t.”

“I’m so sorry,” Callie attempted to sooth, but kept her distance, afraid to touch the volatile woman.

“Who will I be if I lose my leg?” She was openly sobbing again.

“You’ll be you.”

“Heh,” She laughed ironically and angrily wiped at her tears. “That’s easy for you to say… Your Arizona will be fine. I’ll be a cripple.”

“Hey,” Callie admonished. “Stop that. You would never say that about Timothy, why would you…”

“Timothy?” Arizona’s tears stopped in an instant. “What about Timothy?”

“Oh,” Callie had forgotten that the other Arizona’s Timothy was killed in combat. This one had no idea that her brother was alive and well and thriving as an amputee. “Um…”

“My brother,” Arizona had gone from anger to defeat and was now right back at anger. “What about him?”

Callie nodded, “Yeah, your brother… he’s… uh…”

“What? He’s… what?” Arizona moved closer to Callie and grabbed her arms. “Tell me!” She demanded.

“Arizona, I don’t know much,” she admitted. “I haven’t met him. I told you… we’re new. I just know that he was injured in Afghanistan and uh… he lost his leg, but he’s thriving as an amputee. He’s still serving.”

Arizona’s face twisted with emotion. She closed her eyes and held her hands up as if to surrender. Callie just stood there, not sure what to do. She didn't know what the other woman needed from her in this moment. Arizona’s eyes fluttered back open and her gaze found Callie’s. Her arms dropped to her side as she processed the information she’d been given.

“Are you okay?” Callie tried, tentatively.

Arizona shook her head no, every bit of tense emotions she’d been feeling drained from her body and she stood there, limp. Then the color drained from her face, her eyes going wide. She covered her mouth and ran to the kitchen sink and vomited. Callie immediately followed and pulled back Arizona’s blonde hair and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

“Oh,” Arizona rinsed the sink and her mouth. “Gross, I’m… so, so sorry. Ugh, what did I eat that was orange?”

“That’s my fault, I fed you leftover mac and cheese,” Callie continued to rub the other woman’s back in soft soothing circles. “And then told you your deceased brother was alive. Sometimes I, uh… don’t think before I speak. I should have known not to blurt something like that.” She grabbed a clean towel from the drawer for Arizona to wipe her mouth with.

Arizona turned and faced Callie again, they were both leaning against the sink that Arizona had just lost her dinner in, “Do you think I could see him?”

“He’s in San Diego, I think, uh…,” Callie thought for a second. “Camp Pendleton, maybe?”

“My phone?” Arizona asked. “Where is my phone?” She looked around frantically. “Can I call him…? I promise…. I won’t give anything away.”

“Sweetheart, you lost your phone on the plane and… I don’t know his number,” Callie told the upset woman. “I know you Skype with him and Nick a lot, but you didn’t bring your laptop, unless it’s still in your car…”

Arizona’s lip started to quiver and she looked up, trying to keep the tears from breaching her eyelashes. “Nick?”

“Yeah, your friend… in Tibet? He’s in your place too right?”

“Yeah,” Arizona said sadly, “He is.”

“We just met him via Skype a few weeks ago,” Callie replied. “He called to let you know his scans were clear. Cancer free, five years.”

“Of course he did,” Arizona replied. Both her tone and posture defeated.

After a few moments of silence from both woman, Arizona took a deep breath, and got herself under control.

“Do… uh, do you know where the keys to my car are?” she asked. “And my shoes.”

“Uh… your bag, I guess. It’s by the front door. So are your shoes…” Callie trailed off.

“Thank you, Callie.” Arizona said. “Really, I appreciate… everything you’ve done for me. But I uh… need my laptop.” She made her way through the unfamiliar house toward the front door.

“Arizona, what?” Callie trailed behind her. “What are you doing…?” Callie asked, panic worming its way into her chest. “I’ll go… I’ll go get dressed. I’ll go to your car and look for the laptop.”

“No, thank you, uh… I can do it.”

“Arizona…,” Callie was worried. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Whatever it is you are planning to do, don’t. Please.” Callie begged.

“Just,” Arizona tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She seemed to have reached some internal decision. “Go upstairs and get dressed, we can go look for the laptop together, okay? Better?”

“Okay,” Callie heaved a sigh of relief and darted up the staircase. She hurriedly changed out of her nightgown and back into her yoga pants and t-shirt.

When she came back downstairs both Arizona and her bag were gone. Callie closed her eyes and sighed, “Please, please, just be outside.”

She opened her front door, ran across her front porch just in time to see Arizona’s car pull out of the driveway.

“God dammit, Arizona!” Callie yelled.

The car didn’t stop and the blonde never looked back.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, I don’t know anything about anything. All of this is made up. Straight out of my bum. I have nothing against religion or god or any deity in which you choose to believe. This is a supernatural/scifi/fantasy story. Don’t toss any stones in my direction if you have beliefs about the nature of the Cosmos other than what I’ve described here.

Callie drove around the dark, rainy Seattle night, looking for the runaway blonde. Thinking of the frightened and confused woman- in her girlfriend’s body- whose world had just been turned upside down, caused her stomach to roll. She loathed the notion of sending the other woman back into all that pain and suffering and uncertainty, but a nagging feeling in her gut told her it had to be done, and soon. This wasn’t _that_ Arizona’s world, she didn’t belong here, and Callie feared the longer the other woman spent here, the harder it would be for her to return.

Her first impulse was to go to Arizona’s apartment. The blonde had grabbed her purse on the way out, so she had access to all of Arizona’s personal effects, including her wallet and credit cards. Which also meant Arizona had her identification, and thus her address. Callie’s hopeful expectation was to find the other woman at her apartment, merely looking for her laptop. She sent up a silent prayer as she maneuvered into a parking space near the blonde’s upscale building.

She made a mad dash through the pouring rain not bothering to dig out her umbrella. Her shoes became soaked as she splashed through the puddles she failed to avoid in her haste. The doorman opened the doors for Callie, who entered the building and immediately moved toward the elevator. Her wet shoes squeaking loudly on the tile drew the attention of the concierge.

“Excuse me? Can I help you?” he asked loudly from his place at the front desk. “Are you a resident here?”

“Um, no,” Callie replied. “My… uh… friend is. Arizona Robbins? Apartment 314.”

“Ah, yes, Dr. Robbins.” He smiled. He was young, early to mid-twenties- Callie took note of the open text book in front of him leading her to believe he was a student, working nights to pay his way through college. “Let me buzz her and let her know she has company.”

“Wait,” Callie blurted. She bit at her lip, she didn’t really want the woman to be warned of her impending arrival. “Can’t I… surprise her?” She gave him the finest smoldering gaze she could muster under the circumstances. It’d been a long time since she’d flirted with a man. Owen she didn’t bother flirting with and with Arizona, it came as natural as breathing. Everything with Arizona was.

“Um,” he swallowed hard. “It’s not really our policy to just let anyone…”

Callie moved closer to the man trying to manufacture a coy smile, a smile known to make a few knees weak in the past. When he still didn’t speak, she bit her bottom lip and said, “Please?” The flirting finally starting to have the desired effect on the young concierge. She went for the kill, “I’m not just anyone… I’m her _girlfriend_.” She winked at the young man, causing him to swallow hard again. “We have a little unfinished business… she left me all alone in the car… waiting. She said she was just going to run up and then be right back.”

“Okay, you can go on up,” the man shook his head to clear the effects of Callie’s flirting. “I uh… won’t buzz her.”

“Thank you so much,” Callie smiled. She turned to walk toward the elevator once again when the young man shouted at her again.

“Wait,” he said after thinking for a second. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Um… fifteen minutes maybe?”

“Well, I’ve been here all night. No one has been in or out for at least an hour. I don’t think she’s up there.”

“Crap,” Callie said. “Crap, crap, crap. You’re sure?”

“Absolutely sure, ma’am.”

“Dammit. Okay, thanks for… trying. I’m going to go see if I can find her. Would you maybe… call me if she comes in?” Callie asked. She reached across the front desk and grabbed his pencil and notebook and wrote her number across the top of his page of notes.

“Okay… sure,” he said. “I guess I could do that.”

“Thank you so much, you’re a life saver,” Callie winked at the young man again. “Oh…and _ma’am_? Really?”

They young man just shrugged.

Callie shook her head and left the concierge to finish his studying.

***

It was almost midnight when Callie pulled her SUV into the ambulance bay outside of the pit. She was risking getting towed, but she didn’t want to waste time parking. Luckily, most of the hospital doors were locked this time of night, as visiting hours were long over. There were very few places in which Arizona could have entered the hospital and not have been seen by night security. It shouldn’t be too hard to rule out them all out and narrow her search, and if she was lucky, Jose, the night watch supervisor for hospital security would be on duty. He was a fellow Miami transplant who loved to talk Miami Dolphins football with Callie. If he were here, he’d certainly call around to the other guards and see if Arizona had been there tonight.

She rushed through the emergency room entrance and straight to the security desk.

“Jose, thank god it’s you,” Callie said. “I need a huge favor.”

“Anything for you, Dr. Callie.”

“Has Dr. Robbins been through here tonight?” She asked.

“Not through this entrance, you want me to call around?”

“Would you please?” Callie tapped on the desk.

While Jose made his calls, Callie went to check the pit, just in case. There was no sign of Arizona in the emergency room, but she did see Owen down the hall, talking to a couple suits. She wondered why he was still there. He shook hands with the two men and turned her way. His brow furrowed when he recognized her there, and her casual state of dress hurried him in her direction.

“Hey,” he said as he walked up. “Everything okay?”

“Fine… fine, uh… why are you still here? Where are the kids?”

“They are with my mother,” Owen responded. “I’ve been dealing with Ellis stuff. It’s a complete mess, Callie.”

“Oh, yeah…,” Callie cringed. “I kind of forgot about that.”

“How could you forget our Chief of Surgery dropping dead at the resident dinner? It was only a few hours ago!”

“I’ve been dealing with stuff too, Owen. Really… important… unbelievable stuff,” Callie replied. “You don’t get to judge.”

“Fine, I’m too busy anyway,” he rubbed at his eyes, then loosened his tie. “The board has named me interim chief while they search for a suitable replacement.”

“Owen, that’s a lot of stress,” Callie said, worry lacing her voice. “Are you sure you can…”

“No, I told them I’ll only do it temporarily. I’m just getting good, I don’t want to jeopardize my progress.”

“Good, good…,” Callie said. “Um, hey… listen, since you are in charge, I’ll tell _you_ … Arizona is sick.” Callie was actually relieved it was Owen she would be dealing with. She could have went to Dr. Altman, her immediate supervisor, for her, but Arizona _is_ the pediatric department head, she needed to call off to the Chief of Surgery. Anyway, she felt more comfortable lying to Owen than anyone else. She internally chuckled at the irony. “She, uh… had some bad shrimp… yeah, shrimp. She’s not going to be able to work tomorrow. Me too,” she quickly added. “I won’t be in either. Shrimp… bad.”

“How… why did you eat shrimp? You are allergic,” Owen asked.

Callie cursed her sad lying abilities. “Oh. Yeah… um… it was in soup, yeah… soup. We didn’t know there was shrimp in it.”

“Oh, well are you okay? Is that why you are here?”

“Um, yes actually,” Callie lied again. “I came to grab some antiemetics for Arizona’s vomiting. And some… ointment for me. My arms are just covered with rash… you should see under this hoodie.”

He reached out to her in an attempt to examine her arms.

“No, no,” Callie jumped back. “You don’t get to look. We are divorcing. My burning irritation is not for your eyes anymore.”

“I’m sorry, I was just…”

“No, it’s okay,” Callie took a softer line. “Just… no touching. Or looking,” she added.

“Okay,” Owen smiled and held his hands up.

“So, Arizona and I won’t be in tomorrow. That okay with you, interim chief? Come on… you owe me.” Callie smiled her best please-comply-with-my-wishes smile.

“Um, how do I owe you?”

“Uh… you cheated on me?” Callie ventured.

“That was years ago!”

“Well, it still stings, Owen,” Callie tried to use guilt. “I was humiliated and hurt and… and the least you could do is let Arizona and I have tomorrow off.”

“Yeah, sure, okay,” he replied. “We are postponing elective surgeries tomorrow anyway. You, uh… get your ointment and go home and take care of Arizona and your ‘burning irritation’. Hey, you should take her a banana bag with those antiemetics and if she gets too bad, bring her in. You don’t want to mess with shellfish poisoning, Callie. It can have some serious complications.”

“Thanks, Owen,” Callie said. “But, uh… I am a doctor too, you know. I’ll take care of her.”

“Got it,” he smiled. “Do you want me to keep the kids again tomorrow night?”

“Could you?”

“Of course,” Owen said. “Anytime you need.”

“Great thanks, and thank your mom for me,” Callie said. “Don’t forget Allie has preschool, not daycare, on Friday and I think it’s her snack day. Can you take care of that?”

“Of course,” he replied.

“Okay, thanks again, Owen,” Callie turned to leave.

“Hey, Cal,” Owen said. “Tell Arizona good luck, and keep her safe.”

“That’s my purpose,” Callie smiled sadly. “To keep them safe.” She turned and walked away.

***

Callie moved quickly back over to the security desk where Jose was awaiting her return.

“No sign of Dr. Robbins,” he said as soon as she walked up. “Nobody’s seen her. I even checked with pediatric charge nurse and nothing.”

“Dammit,” Callie muttered.

“It’s been a quiet night,” Jose said. “Other than the Chief Grey stuff, that is. It’s a shame, that. She was a nice… uh, good… er, she was dedicated to her job. ”

“Her presence will be missed. That’s for sure, Jose.” Callie nodded her agreement. “Will you do me a favor and call me if you see Dr. Robbins? I really need to speak with her STAT.”

“Of course, Dr. Callie,” Jose said. “Anything for you.”

“You’re a good man, Jose,” Callie said. “You have a good night.”

“Buenas noches,” he replied.

***

The hospital was another dead end. She felt like she was on a wild goose chase. Luckily for Callie, she made it back to the SUV before it had been towed from the ambulance bay. She climbed into the driver’s seat and sat there a moment contemplating her next course of action. She sighed, then put the key in the ignition and brought the engine to life.

“You should really start locking your car doors,” came a voice from the backseat.

“Oh god!” Callie yelled. She turned to find Genie sitting in the back seat of her SUV. “I think I might have died for a second!” She yelled.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, dear.”

“You need to start wearing a bell around your neck,” Callie grumbled under her breath.

“I like to keep you on your toes, Dr. Torres,” Genie replied. “It wouldn’t be as effective if you knew I was coming.”

“Yeah, well, I need to talk to you, so I’ll forgive you this time.”

“You lost her, didn’t you?” Genie admonished. “I told to you to stay with her all night!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault,” Callie defended herself. “If you had given me more of a heads up, maybe I would have been better prepared. Ever think of that?”

“I told you everything _I could_ tell you,” Genie replied. “I don’t know much more.”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Callie argued. “You sent her here, you could have at least…”

“No, dear, this wasn’t my doing,” Genie interrupted. “This is all you.”

“What?”

“You sent her…,” Genie repeated. “The other you. The one waiting helpless and terrified to hear news of her wife. She sent her.”

“What…? How? I don’t understand…,” Callie was at a loss.

“I don’t either, though I have my suspicions.”

“How did she even know to do it?”

“She doesn’t, as far as I know,” Genie supplied. “She was totally unware of your crossover. Which is actually how it usually works for people.”

“Explain that to me, please. Because, I seriously need to know if _my_ Arizona is… suffering.”

“No, no dear. Your Arizona is still here, her consciousness is just… suppressed, I guess you would say,” Genie clarified. “You don’t switch places, the other Arizona can only be here as long as her body, over there, is unconscious. When she wakes, or is revived, she’ll be back where she belongs.”

“Okay… what if… what happens if the other Arizona,” Callie swallowed hard. “What if she doesn’t make it? What if no one finds that plane? What happens to my Arizona’s consciousness then?”

“That’s not going to happen dear,” Genie assured the alarmed woman. “I can’t see the future, per se, but I know she’s not destined to die in that crash. You know that too, don’t you?”

“I think,” Callie looked unsure of herself at first, then more confident. “I think maybe I do.”

“You are special, Callie,” Genie said. “Like me.”

“I’m special?” Callie scoffed. “No, I’m not, I’m a pathetic. I let a terrified woman whose world is coming apart… just run out my front door. I’m supposed to be helping her! Comforting her through her this.”

“Now, now, dear,” Genie said. “Neither Dr. Robbins would want to hear you talk about yourself that way. Feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to help you find her. Feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to help her home. Understand?”

Callie had the good sense to look chagrined, and nod her agreement.

“Okay, dear,” Genie said. “Let me get in the front seat, then we’ll go find your absconder. And, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“Why didn’t you just get in the front seat to begin with?”

“Because then you would have seen me before you got in the car. Where’s the fun in that?”

***

Callie maneuvered her vehicle through the late night Seattle streets. The rain had come to a stop, and in its place the streetlamps left a misty glow on the deserted roadways.  Callie was rapidly growing frustrated with the windows in her car fogging up, continually switching the defrosters on then off, cold then hot, in an attempt to keep her view cleared.  Her fussing with the controls was distracting and causing Genie some concern.

“Calm down, dear,” Genie said. “We’ll find her.”

“Are you sure? Because, I honestly have no idea where she could be!”

“You do, just… relax and think about it. Where would you go if you were frightened and afraid?”

“Ugh, I don’t know!”

“You do!” Genie shouted back, startling Callie with her vehemence. “This Arizona is not all that different from your own. Where would _your_ girl go if she was lost and alone? Someplace she felt safe.”

“I don’t…”

“Think!” Genie insisted.

“After her plane almost crashed… she said… she said she just wanted to get home to me,” Callie finally said. “But… _this_ Arizona ran from me, so…”

“She ran from _you_ ,” Genie said. “Because, _you_ aren’t her home. You may look like her soulmate, but there are fundamental differences that she can detect in her panic-heightened state of awareness. She’s accessed one of our rarely acknowledged twenty-one senses. It’s actually quite interesting…”

Callie slammed on the brakes, causing the vehicle to skid on the wet roads. “I know where she is,” she blurted, bringing a stop to Genie’s explanation. “You can tell me about our extra senses later. I know how to find her.”

Callie stepped on the gas pedal and pulled up to the next intersection so she could make a U-turn and head back in the direction from which they came.

“Where?” Genie asked.

“140 5th Avenue North Apartment 502,” Callie said. “That’s her home.”

***

Callie and Genie stood in front of the blue door marked 502. In one hand she held a box of donuts from the all-night bakery on the corner and she gnawed nervously on her thumbnail of the other hand. It was nearing 1 am and Callie’s surety at Arizona being here had waned in the face of knocking on a stranger’s door at such a late hour.

“You do it,” she said to her older companion.

“No, no,” Genie shook her head, “this is all you, dear.”

Callie sighed. She shifted her box of donuts, and reached up and lightly knocked on the door, which immediately flew open, revealing a frazzled Cristina Yang. Callie jumped back a bit, startled at the sight of the other woman.

“Ugh,” Cristina said. “I was just about to page you to come get her. She’s been locked in the spare bedroom for over an hour. She won’t even answer me.”

“I… uh… Cristina?”

“Yeah, who were you expecting…? Sleeping Beauty?” Cristina stepped aside to let the two in. “Who’s the old broad?”

“She’s a… friend of the family,” Callie replied. “She’s not important right now.”

“Whatever,” Cristina waved Callie off.

“I, uh, didn’t know you lived here,” Callie said, unsure how to proceed.

“Then why are you here?” Cristina asked. “And why is Robbins here?” She pointed over her shoulder toward the spare room.

“Um… I mean. I wasn’t sure you lived here. Owen mentioned, you lived across from the hospital, but I didn’t make the connection. I thought he meant those apartments on Broad St. I should have known.”

“Meh,” Cristina shrugged. “How would you know? We don’t associate… outside of work, but that doesn’t explain why you are here?”

“We are here to view the apartment across the hall,” Callie said. “Uh yeah… or Genie. Arizona was just early. Genie’s looking to downgrade… size wise. A whole house for one person…”

“Really? At 1 am?” Cristina scoffed.

Genie shook her head in bewilderment at Callie’s ability, or lack thereof, to make up stuff on the fly.

Cristina grabbed her bag, “Whatever. I don’t know what’s going on here, and I don’t really want to know. I’m just going to go to the hospital to sleep- I’m on early tomorrow anyway. Lock up when you leave, please,” and headed out the door.

“That went well,” Callie said.

“She’s pleasant,” Genie said in a way that implied the opposite.

“I know,” Callie agreed. “I’m her superior at the hospital,” Callie’s lip curled, “but she scares me.”

“She should lose the bangs,” Genie said. “Too severe.”

“Yeah I noticed when I was in the other place… that Cristina was nicer. We were good friends in that reality. She looked softer, you know? I think the hair definitely had something to do…. Wait!” Callie interrupted herself. “Why are we talking about Yang’s hair, we should be helping Arizona!”

“No, no… this is where you help her,” Genie said. “This is your affair. You, _other you_ , started this, it will take you, _this you_ ,” she pointed directly at Callie, “to finish this. You’ll do fine, dear.”

“Wait, you are leaving? You can’t!” Callie shouted. “I don’t know how… or what to do! You have to tell me what to do… how this all works. She’ll have questions. _I_ have questions!”

“Okay, okay… let’s sit,” Genie said. “I’m old and tired, dear.”

They cleared a spot on Cristina’s extremely messy sofa for them to take a seat. Callie had a lot of questions, even though she was anxious to get into Cristina’s spare room to console the distraught Arizona.

“First, tell me where my Arizona is,” Callie asked as soon as they were seated.

“She’s in that room,” Genie pointed toward the door. “With the other Arizona. I told you in the car, she’s just suppressed. Unaware of what is happening… she’s basically asleep.”

“You are sure she’s not… on that mountain? In the other Arizona’s broken body?”

“No, dear,” Genie sighed. “That fate is not hers. It’s not part of her… map. Unfortunately, her counterpart in there, is not so lucky.”

“Why? Why is my Arizona safe, when the other has to go through something so horrible?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“Let me guess… above your pay grade?”

“Exactly.”

“So… uh, who’s your boss?” Callie attempted to get some information she was almost sure Genie wouldn’t share. Or at the very minimum, would be elusive about. “God?”

Genie smiled indulgently, “If you wish.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“What kind of answer were you expecting?”

“I don’t know what I was expecting,” Callie sighed. “So… it’s…?”

“I only answer to Fate and Destiny,” Genie replied. “And so will you, someday.”

“What?” Callie asked again, quickly becoming worn down. Every answer Genie was giving was causing Callie to formulate more and more questions.

“You understand what fate and destiny are, don’t you?” Genie asked.

“I think so,” Callie sighed. “I mean… sure.”

“There is a fixed natural order to the Cosmos, Callie. One that mustn’t be changed. Fate is how that is achieved. _Fate_ predetermines and orders these events.”

“So, Fate is a person or god?”

“Fate is part of the cosmos. Fate exists because the cosmos does, and the cosmos exists because of fate.”

“And destiny?”

“Is the achievement of your fate. Your _destination_.”

“So, if things are fated to happen, why weren’t Arizona and I together here all along, like we were in the other universe?”

“Because of chance.”

“Chance? Really?”

“Yes, dear, chance,” Genie reinforced. “Fate, destiny and chance all work together to form the cosmos. In each iteration of reality- each universe- chance plays a part in shaping each individual reality, but fate, ultimately wins out. Everyone fulfills their individual destiny… and some fates are intertwined, such as yours and Dr. Robbins. You two won’t always be _together_ , but she is always your destiny. She’s your soulmate, dear. You orbit each other in every universe. You always find each other, you are drawn together by an inexorable force. Fate. It’s your destiny. There is no other way to explain it.”

Callie sat quiet as she took all this in and processed it. “Where do you come in? If you hadn’t sent me to the other universe… what would have happened with me and Arizona?”

“Ah, here is where it becomes a little complicated.”

“Really? _Becomes_ complicated? That ship has sailed, lady.”

“Sometimes stubbornness gets the best of us. It takes hold and doesn’t let go,” Genie explained. “You needed a little push. Your combined fate with Owen was fulfilled the moment you conceived those twins, but you were sticking it out… longer than you should have.”

“Because I was stubborn and didn’t want to admit failure.”

“Exactly, and you had the added weight of Catholicism telling you it was wrong to divorce.”

“Okay, so where exactly does religion fall in all of this? Where is God? Is there a God?”

“Wherever you want,” Genie replied. “God is simply… whatever you perceive him or her to be. If you wish to view your god in the confines of organized religion, then that’s who your god will be _to you_. If you wish to believe God is the Cosmos, then so be it.”

“What about people who don’t believe in god?”

“God simply doesn’t exist for them.”

“Is there… uh, an afterlife?”

“All matter that exists in the universe, always has. Nothing is ever created, and nothing is ever destroyed. Everything goes on… from stardust and simple algae, to complex organisms who have the ability to imagine the infinite. You will always exist in one form or another. Now whether or not you are aware after you die… that information is above my pay grade.”

“Huh,” Callie thought a moment. “Okay, this is getting way too deep, and… uh, we need to hurry,” Callie glanced over her shoulder at the still shut door. “So… I was being stubborn and staying with Owen well past our expiration date…”

“And you needed a little push.”

“So you… pushed me,” Callie surmised. “Showed me what I was missing.”

“I showed you what you _already knew_ you were missing. Arizona was missing it, too. She was subconsciously aware and feeling unfulfilled, just as you were. Why do you think you’ve been able to connect so fast? You are almost two years behind in this verse, it’s why I intervened.”

“Wow,” Callie breathed. “I can hardly wrap my head around all this.”

“It’s a lot for one lesson,” Genie agreed.

“So, uh… how many universes are there?”

“There are an immeasurable number of universes, Callie. Blinking in out of existence all the time. Every choice you and everyone else makes creates a new set of possibilities. The combinations are infinite. In regards to you and Dr. Robbins, every choice you make… every choice your parents made. All effect when and how you met and who and what you are. In some realities you met as teenagers and have been together your whole adult lives, and in others you haven’t met as yet and won’t for years to come.  In some universes she didn’t come home from Africa to be with you, and you are still here… waiting to reconnect. In others you met during college, in some neither of you are doctors, and I know of at least one where you are shipwrecked together. Isn’t that something?”

The flabbergasted look on Callie’s face told Genie she would not be getting a response from the stunned brunette. So she continued her discourse, “Some are similar to your own, like this one and the one she is from, but some are completely different. Unrecognizable. Some you exist and she doesn’t and other she exists and you don’t. In some you will live out full lives with other people, happy, but unfulfilled. But in the end, if possible, you always find one another…”

“Because it’s our fate.”

“Exactly, dear. One day, you’ll understand it all… intuitively. And be able to visit your other selves.”

“Since I’m like you,” Callie stated, it wasn’t a question. Callie recognized it now, she could feel it.

“In time, you’ll be able to cross at will, like me. You’ll be able to be you, as well as the person you inhabit. You’ll be aware, across realities. And you will be able to send people across to correct the course of their fate, help people achieve their destinies. But that… is _many_ years in the future. Many.”

“At least I know I’m going to be around for a while,” Callie chuckled, wryly.

“Yes, dear,” Genie winked. “I’m your future, Calliope Iphi _geni_ a.”

“Oh my god!” Callie exclaimed. “You’re me?! Like… future me?”

“Oh, don’t be silly, dear,” Genie laughed. “We look nothing alike. I was making a joke about the similarity of our names… nothing more.”

“Okay,” the tired brunette sighed, “Let’s get to the crux of it... how is all of this going to help me get her,” Callie pointed once again to Cristina’s spare room. “Back to where she belongs?”

“You don’t.”

“I thought you said it was all on me?”

“It is, but… you aren’t going in there to send her back… you are going in there to keep her _here_.”

***


	18. Chapter 18

“Keep her here? Genie! What?” Callie shouted, then lowered her voice so Arizona didn’t hear. “No… I need my Arizona back!”

“Of course you do, dear,” Genie replied. “I don’t mean for you to keep her here indefinitely. Just until they are found,” Genie closed her eyes and turned her head as if in thought, “sometime Saturday afternoon. Yes… you need to keep her here through Saturday afternoon.”

“I don’t understand…”

“We don’t want her going back and waking up out there,” Genie explained softly. “Let her damaged body rest, keep her here where she is safe and warm.”

“Okay, I guess…,” Callie sighed. “And my Arizona will…?”

“Just feel like she slept for four days,” Genie responded.

“And how am I supposed to explain this to her?”

“Explain to which?” Genie asked. “This one or yours?”

“Both?” Callie shook her head suddenly feeling the weight of everything that had been put on her plate tonight. “I don’t even know anymore, Genie. You’ve given me so much to process….”

“Just be honest with this one, you’ll get her through this part,” Genie patted Callie on the hand. “And your Arizona… just think of something. The truth if you think she’s ready- if you think she’s equipped to receive such information.”

“We’ve barely been together a month! She’ll think I’m crazy… she’ll think she’s crazy! I can’t… I can’t tell her about all this!”

“You’ll think of something, dear.”

“Have you met me?” Callie asked. “I suck at telling lies!”

“A solution will present itself,” Genie assured Callie. “They always do.” 

Callie bit at her lip and thought about what she’d need to do and what was to come. She sighed, “So, how do I keep this one here? Do I just keep her awake until Saturday? And… and…when she goes home… will I be able to know what happens?” Callie asked. “Or will she just go back and that’s it?”

Genie gently grasped Callie’s hand, “Knowledge of what happens over there… will be beyond your ken. Once she goes back, you’ll need to concern yourself with your Arizona. Not the happenings of the other universe. You need to concentrate on maintaining your own course for now. And trust your counterparts to maintain theirs.”

“So that’s a ‘no’? I’ll never know what happens with them?”

“In time you may,” Genie replied. “But for now, I don’t want you to become consumed with thoughts of them. You can’t live in a state of constant worry, it’s not healthy or helpful. You’ll need to learn to put the fate of the other ‘verses out of your mind.”

Callie looked again over her shoulder toward the bedroom door, “So I just talk her through this, and then when she’s gone… forget about it? I thought you said… I would be able to cross… blend… jump?”

“Shift. You will be able to shift your essence,” Genie provide Callie with the terminology she’d been grasping for.

“Shift,” Callie mulled the word over in her head. “I’ll be shifting across universes? And is it just me,” Callie pointed at herself to indicate she meant her physical presence. “Am I the only me that will be able to do this?”

“Yes and no, your other selves can too- but only one of you are the prime. I haven’t quite figured out if that’s you or the one that sent her here… but, that’s a question for another day,” Genie said, effectively dismissing forthcoming inquiries from Callie. “Now get those donuts, and go talk to her. She needs you right now. Just be with her and help her. She can sleep, eat… travel… you have two and half days, Callie, and she has a long hard time ahead of her. Make these days count for her, they’ll be the last pleasant ones she has for a while. ”

Callie stood from the couch and stretched her back. She grabbed the donuts from the side table and asked, “Will you help me?”

“I will help… but not you,” Genie said. “I think it’s time I introduced myself to your counterpart, as I’ll need to keep her from unintentionally shifting Arizona home too soon.”

Genie bid her farewell and just as she was about to exit the apartment, Callie thought of one more question, “Hey, won’t I need one of your special brownies when the time comes?”

“Oh, no dear… those are just a placebo of sorts,” Genie explained. “Some people need a little help expanding their minds; opening themselves up to new possibilities. The brownie is just the catalyst for that, dear. The shifting is all me, or in this case, you.”

“So… they were drug brownies? Genie, tell me you didn’t feed me pot brownies!”

“I’ll never tell,” Genie winked. “Because, there’s nothing to tell.”

“I ate that first one at my daughter’s extremely Catholic preschool!” Callie complained. “It’s an illegal substance!”

“Not for long, dear,” Genie replied.

“What?” Callie scoffed. “What does that even mean?”

“It means exactly what I said. I always mean what I say, Callie, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Well, you are too cryptic.”

“And you are too high-strung.”

“What do you expect?” Callie shouted, no longer concerned with the blonde in the other room over-hearing. “You drugged me without my permission.”

“I did no such thing,” Genie raised her voice in return. “You are a doctor, are you not?”

“Of course I am,” Callie replied. “You know I am.”

“Then you should have an understanding of the word placebo, dear.”

Callie opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when nothing came mind. Genie stared defiantly. The two women were at an impasse. Callie still wasn’t sure she believed Genie when she said the brownies weren’t laced with something.

The bedroom door flew open to reveal a weary blonde. “You know I can hear you guys, right?” Arizona challenged, breaking the stalemate. “These walls aren’t that thick.”

“Arizona!” Callie jumped. Unsure of how to react to the other woman, she said, “How are you? I uh… I have donuts,” holding up the box for the blonde to see.

“They… uh,” Arizona made an attempt at a smile, “They aren’t marijuana donuts are they?”

Genie quietly made her exit, leaving the two women alone to map their own way forward. The next few days were significant, Callie wanted to keep Arizona’s exposure to others at a minimum, yet at the same time, she didn’t want to just hold her prisoner. She’d have to think of something.

***

Arizona sat at the island in Cristina’s kitchen eating a donut, while Callie was bent over rummaging through the refrigerator for something to drink.

“She has tequila, beer, and dry cereal…,” Callie stood upright and turned to look at Arizona. “Why would she keep her cereal in the refrigerator, and yet not have any milk to serve it with?”

“I’m going to guess you never lived with her in this… universe?”

“No, and I’m still a little bit weirded-out by the idea that I did there,” Callie said. She closed the refrigerator door, and joined Arizona at the island. “I can’t believe we were friends over there. She seems like such a sourpuss.”

“Not really,” the blonde replied. “That’s just her face.” Arizona pulled her Callie’s preferred donut, crème filled, out of the box and handed it to the version of the woman in front of her. “Your favorite.”

Callie took a bite of the donut, she usually chose the custard filled for herself, but she didn’t want to disappoint this Arizona any more than she had to, so she ate the crème. She looked around the apartment and tried to remember what their counterparts’ place looked like; even with the baby stuff about, it was much less cluttered and messy than this one.

When her eyes once again fell upon the gloomy blonde in front of her, she sighed. “I guess we have a lot to talk about.”

“I’m sorry I ran, Callie,” Arizona swallowed. “I was scared and felt… alone. It was too much information all at once, and I panicked. I shut down… and just had to get away. Your Arizona… she has so much that I don’t. She has Timothy… and Nick.”

Callie closed her eyes and asked, “Nick is gone too?”

“Nick has cancer. He went the alternative medicine route for past six years,” Arizona said. “It worked about as well as you would expect. He’s terminal. He has a tumor that has eaten into his heart. We just found yesterday… it’s part of the reason why I.... I wasn’t supposed to be on the plane, Callie. I was running. Again.” Tears once again started flowing from her already red-rimmed eyes. “Why do I do that? Why do I run?”

“We all have coping mechanisms, Arizona,” Callie replied. “Some are healthy, some aren’t. I’ve got my fair share of unhealthy ones, that’s for sure. No judgment from me, I swear.”

Arizona nodded her acceptance, “I really am sorry, I never meant to leave for good… I just wanted to see my brother before...”

“Understandable,” Callie said.

“Why is your Arizona so fortunate? Nick, Tim… her plane didn’t crash… you… she has everything.”

“Except Sofia,” Callie said softly.

Arizona looked up sharply at the mention of her daughter, her tears returning in earnest, “Oh god, Callie.” The blonde’s face broke and her body shook as her overwhelming mix of emotions tried to break free.

The wail that eventually escaped the small woman, tore Callie apart, made her chest ache with sympathy. She felt the other woman’s every whimper, every hitch of breath as if they were here own. Callie slid off of the barstool and took the other woman in her arms. She held her tenderly and let her weep. Callie was soft and reassuring, but not overly intimate as there was an unspoken boundary between them; it was small and barely detectable, but there none the less.

As Arizona’s sobbing diminished, Callie released her from the embrace. “I’m going to go see if Cristina has any tissues, okay?”

“They are in our room, on the floor,” Arizona sniffled, “I was using them earlier.”

Callie went to Cristina’s spare room, the one that was theirs in the other universe, to grab the box of tissues. She let her eyes roam the room, there was a bed and a few unpacked boxes; nothing that would indicate a person inhabited the room. No photos on the nightstand or personalized knickknacks set about, it was nothing like the warm inviting room that occupied this space in the other reality. She found the box of tissues and a small pile of discarded ones on the floor in the corner- where Arizona must have been sat, lonely and afraid- unsure of what was to come. It made Callie’s heart ache.

When Callie returned with the tissues, Arizona softly thanked her, then went about the business of blowing her nose and wiping her tears.

“Better?” Callie asked.

Arizona nodded, “What now? What do we do? How do I get home?”

“How much of what Genie and I talked about did you hear?”

“Just the pot brownie argument,” Arizona replied.

“Oh, well… um,” Callie made a face that implied she didn’t really want to say the next part. “Uh… you have to stay until Saturday. Um... I think Saturday afternoon.”

“I don’t understand?”

“I don’t really either, but I think Genie can… kind of see the future… maybe? And I’m pretty sure she said you aren’t rescued until then and… and Genie thinks it would be best to keep you out of your body while you… you know… pass the time.”

“Wait,” Arizona swallowed. “Are you saying we are up there… for four,” her voice hitched. “F-four days before they find us? Four days! Mark won’t make it,” she sobbed. She grabbed Callie’s arms, “How will I make it?”

“By being here,” Callie answered. “Your body can rest. Kind of like when we induce a coma for patients with a TBI. Allowing your body complete rest.”

“What about Mark? Can you get him?”

“I don’t think so, I don’t think it works that way…,” Callie replied.

“Why not? Why am I here and… he has to… suffer?”

“That’s uh… that’s the other thing we need to talk about. It wasn’t me or Genie that brought you here. It was… your Callie. She would need to send him… and I don’t think… I mean I don’t know what their relationship is like, but I know she loves you. She loves and is worried about you. She sent you here, not him.”

“I don’t… understand. I… what you are talking about? Callie doesn’t know how to…. She’s not like you, she doesn’t know how to…”

“Shift. Apparently, it’s called ‘shifting’,” Callie said. “But uh… Your Callie may not have consciously known what she was doing, but subconsciously she sent you where she knew you’d be safe.”

“How?”

“I don’t know… prayer maybe? Does she pray often?”

“Not really, I mean… she’s Catholic, but she doesn’t really… you know, practice anymore. She’s married to a woman, the Catholics aren’t big on that.”

“Yeah,” Callie’s brow furrowed. The recognition that her church really wouldn’t be happy with her choice of future took her by surprise. “Huh.”

“Is that how it works?” Arizona asked, bringing Callie out of her contemplation. “She could just pray me here?” When Callie didn’t immediately reply Arizona tried again, “Callie?”

“I’m sorry…,” Callie shook off the sudden uneasiness at that new insight, Arizona needed her full attention now. “I’m not exactly sure how it works, so I can’t answer that completely. Genie is so freaking cryptic about everything.” Callie huffed. “But… I do know that your Callie unknowingly has the power to shift… couple that with some intense fear for your safety and wellbeing… she wished… or hoped…” Callie was having trouble coming up with the best choice of words to explain something she was just herself beginning to understand. She took a deep breath and swiftly released it, then tried a new approach. “Listen, if my Arizona were lost, I know I’d pray for her safety. I’d hope and pray she were warm, and sheltered, and someplace where she wasn’t suffering. Even if I doubted God, I’d pray, you know? It just… it turns out that she has the power to make that happen. The power to send you someplace safe. The power to protect you, even though she doesn’t know it.”

“Do you think she… knows I’m still alive?” Arizona dabbed at the eyes again, trying to keep the tears from forming anew. “Can she sense me?”

“I uh… I don’t know,” Callie looked thoughtful, like she was working something out in her head- making connections. “I assume her hope is what is keeping you here. If she thought you were dead… If she lost hope, I don’t know how you would be here?”

“But as each hour we aren’t found… as the days wear on… do you think, eventually, she’ll lose hope? Give up… think I’m dead?” Arizona wondered. “What happens if… if she loses hope? Will I go back to my body? And if I’m in my body… will I die? Is that why Genie wants me to stay?”

“No, no… I don’t think so… I know for sure your fate isn’t to die on that mountain,” Callie said. “Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. I feel it. However, even with that knowledge… I don’t want you there- in pain.”

“Can she come here? In… uh in your body… so I can talk to her? Can you bring her? Can I… can I s-see her?”

“I doesn’t work that way…,” Callie said. “I think I could maybe take myself there… but I can’t bring her here. Not yet, I don’t know how.”

“But Genie does, right? She could… bring her to me?”

“I guess… but Arizona, if Callie comes here, even just for a few hours… who would be there for your daughter?”

“I don’t…” Arizona ran her tongue across her lips, “I don’t know.”

“I think we just, stick with the plan, okay?”

“And that is…?”

“Uh, the plan is to… uh… hang out until Saturday?” Callie shrugged, her eyebrows high on her forehead.

“That’s all you got? ‘Hang out until Saturday’?”

“I’m not good on the fly,” she said. Callie could read the weariness on Arizona’s face; this was going to be a difficult two and a half days. “How about, we go back to your place and get Arizona’s laptop? We can try…”

“It’s in my… uh, her car,” Arizona interrupted. “I don’t know the password. I couldn’t even log onto it. I was going to Skype Timothy, but I couldn’t.”

“Well, I don’t really want to spend the night in Yang’s apartment. Why don’t we…” Callie started to make a suggestion, but Arizona, still lost in her own thoughts, continued to speak.

“I just wanted to… see his face, you know?” She sighed, “It’s been so long. I miss him.”

Callie sat back down and let the other woman continue. Arizona deserved that.

“He was my best friend growing up. We, um… moved a lot, so we didn’t really get a chance to make a lot lasting friendships. Losing him was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Huh,” she laughed wryly. “Almost losing Callie and Sofia were… hard, if I’d lost them… I wouldn’t have made it, but they pulled through. My miracle girls. He didn’t, though… he didn’t make it and now he’s here… He’s here and in reach… I could call him and hear his voice, or… or Skype him and see his face, but I can’t figure out my damn password. Do you know if I have a phone in my apartment… and if it has caller id?”

Callie bit at her lip, she hated seeing Arizona in pain. Any Arizona. “We could go there,” she suggested.

“My apartment?” Arizona wiped her nose again.

“San Diego.”

“What?”

Callie reached out and grabbed Arizona’s hand and held it tightly in her own. “We don’t have to work tomorrow, and I can call us off for Friday too, Owen’s interim chief and he owes me. And we both already have the weekend, so… if you are willing to get on a plane, I’m willing to fly with you to San Diego.”

***

After leaving Cristina’s the night before, Callie had worked some magic (not literal) and booked them on an early morning non-stop from Seattle to San Diego- first class. They went back to Callie’s place and grabbed some clothes for their impromptu trip. Callie packed small carry-on and grabbed the bag that her Arizona had brought with her to spend Wednesday night. They didn’t take much time to think about anything more than getting to the airport before Arizona could talk herself out of it. Which they achieved without incident. Arizona had successfully put the idea of flying out of her mind until they had already boarded the plane.

They were currently seated in first-class section waiting for the business and economy class to board plane. Despite having already taken a mild sedative, Arizona was fidgeting in her seat. Callie reached over and took her hand.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

“Right,” Arizona swallowed.

“I mean… what are the odds you’d be in two plane crashes in as many days? Right?”

Arizona side-eyed the brunette, a look of pure incredulity on her face.

Callie, for her part, realized the somewhat tactlessness of her statement and suitably cringed. “Sorry, I’m so stupid,” she chastised herself. “Sometimes I don’t have a filter.”

“I know,” Arizona replied. “I’m married to someone just like you, remember?”

“Is she?” Callie asked. “Like me, that is?”

“Superficially,” Arizona answered. “But I don’t know you well enough to say conclusively.”

“Fair enough,” Callie said. “You want to compare notes?”

The plane started to taxi toward the runway, causing Arizona knuckles to whiten as she gripped Callie’s hand.

“I’ve got you,” Callie leaned close to the other woman and whispered. “What do you need from me?”

“Tell me a story."

"A story? What kind of story?"

"Tell me about her,” Arizona said, her eyes closed. “Me… other me and you. Tell me your story.”

“Okay. It’s um, not a very long story. Not like the one you told me when I crossed. We’ve only been dating for just over a month.”

“Really?” Arizona opened her eyes to look into the brown ones that were so similar to the pair she loved. “Wow.”

“Yeah, I was still with Owen when I crossed. I uh, left him the day I returned.”

“So, were you and her, you know… before?”

“No, no… God no,” Callie adamantly denied. “I’m no cheater… I’ve been cheated on, I know what that feels like and…. No. Arizona and I weren’t even all that friendly before. We worked together and fought a lot always found reasons to be around each other. There were copious amounts of staring and day dreaming- on my part at least.”

Arizona smiled, “I’ll bet on her part too.”

“Well, she stared at a lot of women,” Callie chuckled. “She was not that much into um… how do I put this so it doesn’t sound bad…” Callie thought for a second. “She wasn’t really all that into relationships. She liked to date, but not second date.”

“Ah, she was a bit of a slu...”

“Hey, watch what you call her!”

“Oh stop, I was the same way before I met you,” Arizona chuckled.

“Really? Huh,” Callie bit her lip. “Lauren do a number on you there too?”

“I don’t know any Laurens,” Arizona said, her face scrunched in thought. “Other than Lauren Bacall and Lauren Hutton and they are both too old for me. Oh! Lauren Ambrose is cute, but I’ve never dated her. And…” Arizona glanced back over at Callie who just watched with a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised in question. “Sorry. Lauren?”

Callie laughed. “Well, I don’t know the full story, but, she was your… her… girlfriend. A fellow surgeon, but I think she traveled a lot for her specialty. I’m not sure, I think you guys were long distance. I saw her once, but never met her. Anyway, you… HATE her. You’ve mentioned, more than once I might add, her complete lack of morals.”

“Huh, what did she do? Cheat on me?”

“Stole your Carter Madison. Well, she stole your grant proposal, turned it in with her name and won the Carter Madison. I think she’s in Africa as we speak.”

“Oh wow,” Arizona said. “What a bitch.”

“Apparently,” Callie agreed. “You certainly despise her. You’ve never heard of her over there?”

Arizona thought about it for a few seconds. “No, but now I’ll know not to trust her if I ever do meet her, that’s for sure.”

Further discussion was interrupted by the Flight Attendants announcing that the boarding door had been closed and starting the pre-flight safety speech. Arizona rolled her eyes and whispered to Callie that it was a pointless speech as her mind seized with fear during their crash. In that moment she remembered none of what they were told to do in the event of trouble.

After the flight attendants had finished their spiel, the pilot announced they were ready for take-off.

Callie held Arizona’s hand tight all through the take-off- neither spoke. Arizona closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing, it was her sole focus. 

Callie was afraid to startle the blonde out of the intense effort she was exerting to remain calm, but Arizona had other ideas.

“Keep talking, Callie,” Arizona said through gritted teeth. “Keep telling me about you and her. You know our story, I want to know your st-story.”

“Okay, well after spending the day with you- that perfect evening with you and Sofia- I knew my marriage was over. Owen and I hadn’t been a couple for more than a year. We were married and lived in the same house, but we weren’t… intimate. He slept in another room.”

“Wow, you went more than a year without sex?” Arizona said without opening her eyes. “That would have practically killed my Callie.”

“Yeah well, it wasn’t a picnic for me either.”

“I still can’t get over the fact that you were married to Owen Hunt… Owen. He’s just so… I don’t know. Serious? Grumpy?”

“He wasn’t always,” Callie shared. “When we first met, he was freer, you know. Less burdened. He came back from the war changed. He was tense and closed off.”

“Do you think you would still be together if he hadn’t gone?”

“No,” Callie said. “Actually… maybe, but we wouldn’t have lasted. I wouldn’t have been able to stay away from you, her. Not after… becoming aware of my attraction. She’s my destiny, nothing would have stopped us.”

“You know this after one month,” Arizona ventured. “That she’s your destiny? That you love her?”

“How long did it take for you to know?”

“Heh,” Arizona said, she peeked open one eye to look at Callie when she answered. “I knew she was trouble the moment I laid eyes on her.”

“Trouble, huh?”

“Oh yeah, she altered all my plans,” Arizona said. “My life doesn’t look anything like I thought it would when I was younger, but I wouldn’t change it. I love her. I need her.”

“I’m sure the feeling is mutual,” Callie replied. “You two are just as meant to be as I am with my Arizona.”

“Soulmates?” She turned her gaze to meet Callie’s. “You believe in that?”

“I didn’t before,” Callie admitted, she shrugged. “But I do now. How can I not?”

“Hmm, tell me more,” Arizona closed her eyes again. “Who asked who out first?”

“It was kind of mutual,” Callie explained. “She had suggested we have drinks sometime… as friends, but we never got around to it. Then, after I separated from Owen and filed for divorce, we um… decided to have lunch, but before we could,” Callie chuckled. “She thought Owen broke my nose, which he did, but it was an accident- my clumsiness, plus him leaving a room quickly and I ended up with a concussion and a broken nose via the door, and Arizona didn’t know the details, she thought he hit me on purpose. She came to my defense by punching him and ended up with a broken finger.”

Arizona opened and closed her left hand, and chuckled, “I feel it. I wondered why my hand was sore,” She snuck another peek at the brunette, “I thought maybe it was a sex injury.”

“No, no sex injury,” Callie laughed. “Anyway, she stayed with me that night… because of my concussion.”

“Oh, she wanted you,” Arizona smirked, her eyes still closed.

“You think?”

“She offered to babysit you?” Arizona said. “I know she wanted you. How could she not…? Look at you.”

“Well, after that night… we’ve been pretty inseparable,” Callie said. “And, uh… just tonight… er, yesterday… before you showed up… she told me she loved me for the very first time.”

“I’m sorry I messed up your night,” Arizona said.

“Hey, you didn’t mess up anything,” Callie insisted. “I swear.”

“Okay,” Arizona whispered. She took a deep breath, still waiting for the announcement from the pilot that they could unbuckle, not that she planned to, but she wanted to open her eyes. “How does she get along with your children? I know I was pretty against kids before I met Callie.”

“Really? You’re a pediatric surgeon! How are you against kids?”

“I was against having children… I wasn’t all ‘death to all kids’ or anything. I just… didn’t think I’d make a good mom.”

“You’re an amazing mom.”

“I know,” Arizona smiled. “I have an amazing daughter.”

“She hasn’t met my kids yet,” Callie admitted. “Should I be worried? Do you think she’ll… run?”

Arizona lifted her head from the headrest, and turned to look at Callie, “No. I don’t.”

Callie let loose a relieved sigh.

At that point the pilot announced they had reached their cruising altitude and that they were free to move about the cabin. There were no delays or pockets of bad weather, meaning they would be landing in San Diego as scheduled in roughly two and a half hours.

Though, the grip on Callie’s hand finally lessened, she could still see some fear in the crystal blue orbs. They also revealed a sense of anticipation as she looked around the first class section.

“So far so good,” Callie said. “We’ll be there before you know it.”

Arizona nodded her head in affirmation, “I’m going to see my brother.”

“You are going to see your brother.”

“Oh, god, Callie! I’m going to see my brother!” Arizona’s eyes became wide and her breath quickened. With the fear of take-off gone, panic about seeing her deceased brother suddenly set in, “What… how… what are we going to do? Do we just… what? Roll up to Camp Pendleton and ask them to fetch him?”

“Huh, we didn’t really think that part through, did we?” Her brow’s furrowed in contemplation.

“Honestly? I thought I’d run screaming from the plane long before we had to think about how to get in touch with him.”

“Maybe he has a listed number?”

“Maybe,” Arizona sighed. Her shoulders slumped as she started to feel dejection again.

“Hey, we’ll think of something,” Callie said. “I promise. Okay? Why don’t you try to get a little sleep? We’ve been up for hours, and I don’t think we’ll be able to nap after we land.”

Arizona nodded, “Okay, okay... I’ll try,” she leaned her seat back, and closed her eyes.

“We’ll be on the ground before you know it,” Callie whispered to the resting blonde. “And then we’ll find a solution. Someone once told me a solution will always present itself.”

“I hope you can trust this someone.”

“Me too,” Callie said. “Me too.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Note:** I know this is a couple days late, so sorry! Enjoy.

 **Note:** Please don’t laugh at my Googled Spanish.

***

Arizona wasn’t able to get any sleep on the flight, despite being utterly exhausted and on a sedative, her anxiety wouldn’t let her relax. Callie wanted them to check into a hotel and get some much needed rest before trying to visit Timothy, but Arizona was balking. Callie was currently standing in an unbelievably long line at the car rental place at the airport, while Arizona visited the restroom.

Callie didn’t want to be that person, the one that stood in line and chatted on her phone, but she couldn’t help it. They needed a place to stay and she didn’t know anything about the area. She would do almost anything for Arizona, but she wouldn’t stay in a subpar hotel. She quickly dialed her sister’s number.

“Hola, hermana,” Aria immediately said. “Cómo estás?”

“Aria!” Callie said. “Thank god you answered.”

“Lo que usted necesita?” Aria asked. “Sólo se llama cuando se necesita un favor.”

“Hey! I resent that,” Callie fussed. “I call for things other than favors… But, I’m a busy woman: three kids, a successful cardio thoracic surgeon…”

“And a hot, new… _lover_ ,” Aria teased.

“Who told you that?” Callie whispered into the phone.

“The question should be, why didn’t _you_ tell me when you told me about divorcing Owen,” Aria asked.

“Because it’s all so new, I didn’t want to jinx anything,” Callie admitted. “Spill, sister… who told you.”

“Daddy,” Aria laughed. “Who else?”

“What? Daddy said I had a hot new lover?”

“Well, to be fair, he didn’t mention the ‘hot’ part or us the word ‘lover’, but he did tell me you were seeing someone.  And you wouldn’t date not hot, so I assumed the ‘hot’. I’m right, though, aren’t I? About the hot?”

“Huh, well… Yes, yes… they are very hot. But, um, I didn’t really call to chat about my love life….”

“Right,” Aria said. “Like I said, you need a favor.”

“This time I do, but sometimes I call for other reasons…,” Callie tried to rationalize.

“Of course you do, sister,” Aria teased. “But you are a busy woman, and I get stuff done. It’s okay, it’s my burden to be this organized and capable. What do you need?”

“A Five Star in San Diego, close to the marine base. Think you can do that for me?”

“Callie, I’m a lawyer, not a travel agent!”

“You have a fancy law degree, but I haven’t seen you do much lawyering. Daddy said you passed the bar, but you haven’t done anything with it, you know you could always….”

“Don’t tell me to go work at Mama’s old firm, Callie. Not you too. Law school was her dream, not mine, and I can take all the time I need to decide what to do with said degree. I’m fine working with Daddy until I do.

”I’m sorry, I didn’t call to pick a fight. We can talk soon, but I’m in a jam, and it’s kind of an emergency. I need a place to stay and I’m standing in a line right now, so I can’t really call around.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll find you something. When are you going?”

“I’m here now, I need something for tonight, that’s why I need your help. Oh… can you leave it open ended. I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be leaving.”

“And are my adorable niece and handsome nephews with you?”

“No, just… Arizona.”

“I thought you said San Diego?”

“No… I mean, yes… I’m in San Diego, but I’m with Arizona. That’s my girlfriend’s name.”

“Girlfriend?” Aria sounded surprised. “Does Daddy know you are seeing a woman? Because he didn’t mention that part.”

“Yeah, he knows, he said…” While on the phone with her sister, the long line that Callie had been standing in had shortened immensely. She was currently the next to be called. “Uh crap, look Aria, I have to go… can you call me when you get something. Please?”

“One condition, I meet this… _woman_. Soon.”

“Okay, okay… I promise, soon.”

Callie pressed the button on her phone to disconnect the call, just as the car rental customer service rep called next.

***

Keys and rental agreement in hand, Callie made her way to the restroom to check on Arizona. She didn’t want to smother the other woman, but she’d been in there for a while and Callie was starting to worry.

Arizona was standing front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. She didn’t move when Callie’s refection appeared behind her.

“Hey,” Callie greeted softly. “Are you okay?”

Arizona eyes flicked to meet the brown eyes reflecting back at her. “I’m different,” she said. Her gaze once again on herself.

“You are,” Callie agreed.

“I hadn’t noticed before. A little thinner and firmer maybe… do I work out?” She turned her head back and forth and she smoothed her hands across her hips as she examined herself.

“You do,” Callie acknowledged.

“And you,” she finally turned and faced the brunette. “Your hair is longer. Mine, uh… my Callie cut hers short when I was in Africa,” she reached out and lightly caught hold of one of Callie’s long dark curls. She twirled it between her fingers, “It hasn’t grown out this much yet. It was really pretty,” she sucked in a deep breath. “I just… I noticed when I was washing my hands, that… I _look_ different. If I were dreaming, I would look the same right?”

“Arizona,” Callie whispered. “This isn’t a dream.”

The blonde’s eyes filled with tears, “I’m really going to see my brother?”

“You are,” Callie replied.

Arizona turned back to look at her reflection again. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and her eyes were red-rimmed from the perpetual crying of last night and this morning. Plus, the lack of sleep had started to manifest in dark circles under her eyes.

“I should shower,” Arizona nodded to herself. “And… brush my teeth.”

“A nap wouldn’t hurt either,” Callie said. “My sister is booking us a nice place close to the base. We can head there, get some lunch and rest up. Then we can try to find your brother this evening. Maybe he’ll be off duty and we won’t have to lie our way onto a military base.”

“Yeah, okay,” Arizona responded, still a little hesitant. “A nap… sounds nice.”

***

Aria had set them up in a Four Seasons just a few miles from the base. Arizona hadn’t said a word as they checked in and made their way to the room. Callie was starting to get worried by her sudden change in demeanor. She was hoping it was lack of sleep, but something was telling her there was something deeper going on with the blonde.

Callie offered to order some room service, but Arizona declined and instead went straight for the shower.

Callie took her time unpacking her small bag, but Arizona took even longer in the shower, long enough that Callie decided to go get something for them to snack on from the vending area while she waited. She figured Arizona may not be ready for a full lunch, but she hadn’t had anything to eat since the donuts the night before. Callie understood the other woman’s lack of appetite, but this wasn’t _her_ _body_ she was depriving of food. Callie had to at least try to get Arizona to eat a little something.

When Callie returned to the room, her arms full of (not so healthy) snacks, Arizona was sitting on the bed wrapped in the fluffy white hotel robe, her expression distant and forlorn.

“Arizona?” Callie immediately placed the stuff on the table and went and sat next to the blonde. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this.”

“Take a nap?” Callie tried to bring a smile to the melancholy blonde, “Naps are easy, like toddler level stuff. You can do it.”

Arizona gave her a charity smile for the attempt to lift her mood, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “No, I can nap… and I will, but I don’t think I can see my brother. I… I… I just can’t. I can’t see him.”

Callie reached over and took Arizona’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Then we won’t.”

Arizona’s brow furrowed at Callie’s easy acceptance of her back pedaling.  “Huh,” Arizona huffed. “Just like that? You’re just… going to let me back out?”

“Um, I’m sorry… this is kind of new territory, you know? I’m not sure what you want me to do.” Callie really wanted to comfort and guide the other woman, but it wasn’t her place. And honestly, what guidance could she offer? This was new, unbelievable, out-of-this world strange territory for them both. Was there a right thing to do?

“I want you to tell me what to do! I don’t know what to do,” Arizona started panicking again. “You said… you told me ‘whatever you can’t do, I will’, you said that to me… you told me that’s how this works. I can’t… make this decision. You need to tell me what to do!”

“Arizona,” Callie pulled the other woman close and laid her head on her shoulder. She sympathetically whispered, “I’m not her. I can’t make this decision for you. This is something for you to decide on you own.”

Arizona leaned back and looked into Callie’s deep brown eyes, “But… what would you do?”

Callie thought long and hard before answering, she didn’t want to unduly influence Arizona- this had to be her choice, but she had asked for an opinion. Callie took other woman’s hand in her own, “If I had a chance to see my mom again…”

“Your mom?” Arizona asked. “Is…uh,” she left the rest unsaid.

“Dead?” Callie confirmed. “Yes, she died, uh… four years ago, almost five now.” Arizona squeezed _her_ hand in comfort now. Callie looked at their clasped hands, fingers entwined, then up into blue eyes, “I’d give anything to see her again.”

Arizona tilted her head, her look changed to one of sympathy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“You mean… wait, she’s _not dead there_?” Callie’s voice squeaked with the sudden rush of emotion. “Podría haber hablado con mi mamá cuando yo estaba allí?”

“Oh… yeah, uh… I’m not exactly sure what you just said, but she is alive and well… as far as I know.”

Callie’s face contorted with confusion, “What do you mean ‘as far as you know’? How could you not know how your mother-in-law is doing?”

“Callie, I’m sorry,” Arizona sighed. “But she isn’t exactly… the most… hmm,” Arizona mulled over how tell Callie her mother in the other ‘verse is a raging homophobe who called their sweet precious baby a bastard and refused to come to their wedding without ruining this Callie’s memory of her own mother, “She’s not really warm. Or easy to… she thinks… Uh… very Catholic… and traditional. She’s not very…”

Callie sighed, “She thinks I’m going to hell, doesn’t she? She doesn’t talk to me anymore.” It wasn’t really a question, Callie knew the answer.

“Yeah,” Arizona answered anyway. “She’s been pretty unbending about it.”

“What about Sofia… does she acknowledge her granddaughter?”

Arizona just shook her head, she wasn’t going to say anymore to ruin the image of Callie’s mom.

“My dad?”

“Is amazing,” Arizona reassured. “He’s loves Sophia.”

“Aria?”

“Callie, they aren’t the same people here. You can’t…”

“Aria too? Seriously? I thought she was acting weird earlier when I mentioned you. She sounded surprised. She hates me too?”

“No, Aria is not… she still speaks to you, she just loves your mom, you know? She loves you too, but… you aren’t as close as you used to be. She accepts you Callie, you and our daughter, but it’s different. There’s a distance. I’m so sorry.”

The tables had turned and Arizona was the one doing the comforting now.

“No, don’t be, Arizona. _I’m_ sorry. I made this about me when it should be about you.” Callie flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “I think you should see your brother, but if you don’t want to then that’s fine too. It’s your call, sweetheart, I’m here for you.”

Arizona laid back and looked up at the ceiling too. She reached over and once again took Callie’s hand, so they lay side-by-side holding hands on the bed, legs dangling off the edge. “If you come with me, I can do it,” she turned her head to look at Callie.

“Then you can do it,” Callie met Arizona’s gaze, “because I won’t leave your side.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, but you should nap, this body,” Callie poked Arizona’s bicep playfully, “has been up since before dawn yesterday.”

“I… uh,” Arizona sighed and finally admitted, “I’m afraid to go to sleep.”

“Nightmares?” Callie asked.

“I’m afraid I’ll wake up in the woods.”

“Oh,” Callie said.

“Yeah, oh…”

“Genie said…”

“I could sleep… I know, you told me,” Arizona quietly replied. “Doesn’t make me any less afraid.”

“I’ll uh… hold your hand?”

“Sing me that song…” Arizona whispered. “The one you sang to Sofia the night you were… over there.”

“Arrorró Mi Niño?”

“I don’t know… Callie doesn’t sing,” Arizona whispered. “She says she doesn’t know the words to any songs.”

“Huh, mi abuela taught me to sing, my mother wasn’t that into it,” Callie looked thoughtful for a moment, realizing what that meant.

“I’m sorry, Callie.”

“No, it’s okay,” Callie smiled faintly. “I’ll sing you to sleep.”

Arizona pulled her robe tighter around herself and slid under the luxury duvet. Callie did the same and the two women positioned themselves in the bed; close enough for Callie to hold Arizona’s hand, but not overly intimate.

Arizona closed her eyes and Callie melodiously sang “ _Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol…”_

***

Several hours and one uneventful nap later, Callie and Arizona found themselves in a modest, family-owned cafe just south of Camp Pendleton. Oceanside Eats, named for the small mostly military town it inhabited, was a cross between a coffee shop and a diner.

The two women were ravenous after their few hours of sleep and were having a large plate of breakfast foods for dinner.

“Mmm, this French toast is divine,” Callie wiped some dripping syrup from her lips. “I’m glad we went with breakfast.”

“I know,” Arizona agreed. “Normally I’m not all that much of a breakfast-for-dinner person, you know? I like wine with my evening food, and though bacon is very versatile, maple syrup and a zesty chardonnay do not make a very good pairing.”

Callie laughed at the blonde; their mood much lighter after getting some rest. This woman looked like her girlfriend, but Callie was quickly realizing they were fundamentally different. It was nice getting to know this version, but she missed her Arizona. Her Arizona loved the idea of breakfast for dinner, they’d enjoyed several impromptu meals of French toast or omelettes in their short time together.

The two women casually chatted while they finished their meals. They compared notes on the similarities and differences between their two universes.

Callie told Arizona all about Allegra and the boys. Allie was serious and determined and so smart. Talking from a young age, but the boys were just coming into their personalities, how they’d not spoken much—only to each other—until suddenly around their second birthday they’d opened up and every day it was something new, some exciting new thing they learned that they wanted to share. Their vocabulary expanding daily.

Arizona expressed some regret that she wouldn’t get to meet them, causing Callie to consider a Facetime call, for brief a moment, so that Arizona could see them, but she quickly put that out of her mind as it wouldn’t be fair to her Arizona who’d yet to officially meet them. This caused Callie ponder how _her_ Arizona would feel missing out on introducing her big brother to girlfriend.

“So, uh… what’s the plan?” Callie asked. “How do you suppose we go about finding your brother? Do you still think I should be there… or…?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Well, it’s just… I’ve never met him. Not even when Arizona Skype’s with him; she’s really excited about me meeting him and I was…”

“Not wanting to take that away from her,” Arizona sighed. “Why didn’t we think about that before we flew all the way down here?”

“I wasn’t thinking about her then, I was thinking about _you_ ,” Callie said. “I’ll see this through, I promise. I’m here for whatever you need. I won’t leave you alone in this.”

“No, it’s okay, Callie,” Arizona said. “I get it. To be totally honest, you aren’t the person I want to introduce him to either. She is, my Callie. I miss her.”

“I know you do, I miss my girl too.”

The server chose that minute to come to the table and refill their coffee. “Are you ladies doing okay? Can I get you anything else?”

“Actually, Sheila,” Arizona glanced at the server’s nametag, she smiled—dimples on full display, and asked, “Can I get some more bacon? Normally I wouldn’t indulge… but I don’t have to worry about the added pounds on _my_ body,” her gaze shifted to Callie and she winked. Arizona teased Callie in an attempt to let the other woman know she wasn’t troubled over the confession. Her need to see her brother was intense, and she was sure she’d be emotional, but the nap had energized her— both physically and emotionally. Had her Callie been available she would have both wanted and needed her there, and though, this Callie had brought her this far, this was Arizona’s task to finish, not the wonderful woman who sat across from her.                                   

Sheila chuckled politely, not exactly sure what the inside joke was, and left to get Arizona some more bacon.

“You’re pretty cheeky, you know that?” Callie giggled. “But I don’t think my Arizona would worry over a couple pieces of bacon.” She stabbed a piece of cut melon and pointed it at the blonde.

“Cheeky, huh?”

“Your… uh, her word, by the way,” she popped the piece of melon in her mouth and smiled.

“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever used that word before in my life.”

“Apparently, she’s been watching a lot of television lately.”

“Ooh, I love American Bake-off… all the cooking shows actually,” Arizona said between bites.

“Yeah, she’s been into those too,” Callie chuckled. “She tried to fix me some spicy tomato soup for our first date… she put in six habaneros. It wasn’t edible.”

“Oh my god, I hope she had a backup?”

“She did,” Callie laughed some more. “ _Shrimp_ _pasta_.”

“Mm, sounds good. Did you like it?’

“Did I like it? Arizona, I’m allergic to shrimp!”

“Oh.”

“I’m not allergic to shrimp over there?”

“God, no… you love shellfish,” Arizona said. “I mean… you love it. I’ve heard you moan so wantonly over lobster… I’ve turned as red as… well, a lobster.”

“Really?”

“Yep, you really, really love lobster.”

“Huh,” Callie huffed. “Next time I crossover… will you take me out for a lobster and shrimp dinner?”

“Uh… okay. This is a weird conversation… did you just ask me on a cross-universe date?”

“Friends can have dinner together!” Callie insisted. She gestured to the food in front of them, “This isn’t a date, and we are having dinner.”

“True, but you are talking about crossing universes to have dinner with me…,” she stopped talking at Callie’s raised eyebrow. “Oh… yeah. I crossed over too.”

“See, I can cross the universe to have some lobster with you, no big deal.”

Sheila returned with Arizona’s bacon, as she was sitting it on the table she looked out the large glass window by the booth, “Oh my, major dimples.”

“Oh,” Arizona looked at the waitress surprised. “Um, thanks.”

“No, not you… your dimples are very nice, but I’m talking about him,” She pointed out the window toward the man that had just pulled into a parking space out front. “Capital ‘M’, capital ‘D’— we call him Major Dimples. He’s a marine, he works over on the base. He comes in here for dinner several times a week. He’s dreamy.”

Callie had been looking out the window trying to get a good look at the man who was getting out of his SUV, she completely missed the color drain from Arizona’s face.

“Holy Captain America. You are right he is…” Callie finally turned and became aware of the look on Arizona’s face. “He’s… Oh god… That’s uh… him, isn’t it?”

Arizona swallowed hard, and nodded her head.

“Can you give us a moment?” Callie asked Sheila, who quickly left them alone.

Arizona had yet to look away from the window, where Major Timothy Robbins was digging around in the back of his SUV, obviously looking for something.

“Callie,” she breathed. “Look at him… do you see him?”

“I do… and he’s about to walk through that door,” Callie pointed to the entrance, “What do you want to do?”

“Run… and… hide. Callie, I’m not ready,” Arizona panicked. “What do I do?”

“Uh… oh god, um… put your hood up,” Callie suggested. “Quick, he’s coming.”

Arizona quickly pulled the hood up to cover her head, “Okay, let’s… uh go… we can go and… wait in the car. Maybe follow him home and I can see him tomorrow, right? We can do that, can’t we? Stalk him tonight, then… tomorrow, when I’m ready…. Oh god… he’s in the restaurant.”

“Okay, okay…” Callie pulled her wallet out and dropped way more cash than was needed for their meal on the table and they scooted out of the booth.

 “Look at him,” she said again. Arizona couldn’t stop staring, he was standing by the door— magazine rolled up in his hand— waiting to be seated, his lower half obscured by the front counter.

“I see,” Callie said. She wrapped her arm around the nervous blonde, “Are you sure you want to go?”

“I…” Arizona stopped talking when Timothy moved around the counter and came into full view. He wore a grey USMC t-shirt and basketball shorts, his prosthetic leg in full view. Arizona sucked in her breath at the sight, she had forgotten.... _Forgotten_ , that this Timothy was an amputee.

She just stood there frozen in her tracks, unable to look away, as he laughed—no, flirted—with the hostess as she lead him to a table on the other side of the restaurant.

Callie watched carefully at the myriad of emotions that swept over Arizona’s face. She squeezed Arizona’s arm to get her attention. “He didn’t see us,” she whispered, “what do you want to do? Stay or go?”

Arizona turned and looked into Callie eyes, she knew the other woman would do whatever she wanted. “I uh… think I need to do this alone. You go… back to the hotel. I’m just going to sit with him for a little while.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Calliope, I’m sure.”

“What are you going to tell him?” Callie asked. Arizona couldn’t just tell him the truth, he would think she was crazy. They’d barely discussed what they were going to say when they found him. Callie wondered why they had done that, why hadn’t they been more prepared.

“I’ll think of something,” Arizona said. “I won’t make your girl look crazy, I promise.”

“Okay, I’m going, you… here,” she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. “Take this… call me when you are ready… wait, I don’t have a phone for you to call me on… we should have gotten you a burner phone or something.”

“It’s fine, you take it, call your kids… I know you’ve been dying to,” Arizona insisted. “Tim will give me a ride back to the hotel… or I can get a cab. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to this body.”

The two women walked to the front. Callie told the hostess their money was on the table and reluctantly slipped out the front door.

Arizona took a deep breath, then determinedly strode over to Timothy’s table. When she arrived at the table she just stared at him, taking in the sight. He looked older, not by much, and had the same precise jarhead haircut. He was reading the latest issue of Popular Science bringing a smile to Arizona’s face. He’d always been into science, she often wondered what he would have done with his life if there wasn’t a Robbins’ legacy to live up to.

“Hey,” she finally said.

He looked up from the magazine and his smile lit up the restaurant, “Sis!” He immediately slid out of the booth and stood up.

“Surprise?”

“What are you doing here?” He asked. “You were supposed to call me last night, I was worried.”

Arizona couldn’t answer, she just stared up at him, unshed tears in her eyes.

“Are you okay? Did something happen to Callie? Oh god… or Mom and Dad?”

“No, I just… was in the… area,” Arizona finally found her voice, “and wanted to see you.”

“Wow, how did you find me here?” He gestured around the restaurant.

“Fate.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

Sitting in the rental car outside of the restaurant Callie took her phone out of her bag. She intended to do as Arizona suggested and call her family. She’d been wanting to check on the kids, plus she needed to tell Owen where she was… and why. Just not the real reason  _why._

Callie was worried about the woman in the restaurant, but this was all so weird. She was really torn. On the one hand, she wanted to be there for Arizona. On the other hand, she didn’t want to deprive  _her_  Arizona of the pleasure of introducing her to her brother. And what was she going to tell her Arizona anyway? How would she explain a side trip to San Diego in the middle of a work week? And… Ellis. Callie forgot that Ellis had died. She was dead… The Chief was dead. So much to think about and sort through.

She shook her head to clear her mind, and dialed Owen.

After several rings he answered, “Hey, Cal, what’s up?”

“I was just calling to check on the kids, are you guys home? Can I talk to them?”

“Yeah, sure,” Owen replied. “We just finished dinner, Mom’s getting the boys in the tub… but I can get Allie for you. She’s watching Doc McStuffins, you know how much she loves that show.”

“No, don’t bother her, just give her a kiss goodnight from me.”

“Callie, it’s not a bother. I can pause her show. You know how disappointed she’ll be if she missed your call.”

“Right, okay. I just… didn’t want to be all grr… must talk to me now. It’s your time with them”

“You know you aren’t bothering— you can call anytime. That’s our deal right? Besides, this is supposed to be your night anyway. Speaking of, how is Arizona feeling?

“She’s fine… Oh, uh… right… no, the bad shrimp. She’s um, actually feeling better… not puking anymore, but she had… uh… a family emergency. We’re in San Diego.”

“San Diego! Callie what?”

“I know I’m sorry…,” Callie felt really bad for dropping all this on Owen, especially with his questionable stress management of late, but she didn’t have a choice. “That’s actually the other reason I called. I need you to keep the kids a few more nights. We won’t be back until… Sunday.” She decided that Sunday would be the best choice for a return trip, she didn’t know what time Arizona would be crossing back over on Saturday and she didn’t want to put this one through another flight. Though, how she was going to explain to her Arizona why they were in California was a whole other problem.

“Sunday!” Owen shouted, “Ellis’ memorial is on Sunday, you can’t miss that.”

“Ugh, Owen… you know I hate funerals… I can’t, not after my mothers. I can’t deal with it.”

“It’s not the funeral. Sunday evening is the memorial for friends, family, and coworkers. The funeral is Monday and will be a small gathering, family and close friends only. You don’t have to attend the funeral, Callie, but I don’t recommend missing the memorial.”

Callie sighed, “Okay, we should be home by Sunday afternoon… we’ll be there. Or, I will at least, I can’t really speak for Arizona. We aren’t that couple yet.”

Owen chuckled, “I’m sure you’ll be ‘that couple’ soon enough. You two seem to be getting on really well.

“We are, even with all the… craziness.”

“Good, I’m happy for you, Callie,’ Owen replied. “But don’t miss the memorial, the whole hospital board is going to be there.”

“Oh yeah, have they made any decisions about who is going to fill Ellis’ considerable shoes?”

“I don’t think anything official yet, but a few names have been bandied about… a couple of former Seattle Grace staff members are being called in for interview— Preston Burke and Erica Hahn. Mark Sloan was also mentioned… and a few people have reached out to the board interested in the position. The board seemed pretty keen on one in particular, a Carter Madison winner who has been running a clinic in Africa…”

“Oh…no,” Callie breathed. “No, no, no…,” she sat in the car and lightly banged her forehead on the steering wheel. “Lauren Boswell?”

“Yeah, I think so… do you know her?”

“Owen,” Callie sighed. She wondered why they couldn’t just have one crisis at a time. “You can’t let them hire that woman.”

“I’m not sure I have any say in the matter, Callie. Who is she?”

“It’s Arizona’s ex and…”

“I can’t just go to the board and say you can’t hire this amazing surgeon because it will make someone that works here uncomfortable. We are exes and we work together.”

“No… it’s nothing petty like that… it, well… it’s not really my place to say what happened, but just… Lauren Boswell is seriously lacking in  _professional_  ethics. We don’t need that at our hospital.”

“I’m afraid it’s out of my hands… maybe Arizona can talk to the board? You need to find someone with more pull than me. Your dad maybe?”

“No, I don’t think he’d have any influence. Plus, we don’t want him thinking he has to swoop in and throw money around. I don’t think you want my dad as your boss, Owen. I’ll deal with it,” she sighed. “Just… put my baby on so I can tell her goodnight.”

“Hold on while I get her,” Owen said, then the phone went silent.

Callie took the opportunity to try and see into the restaurant—to see what was going on with Arizona and Timothy—but her view was obstructed. She really hoped Arizona was handling things okay in there.

***

_“Hey,” she finally said._

_He looked up from the magazine and his smile lit up the restaurant, “Sis!” He immediately slid out of the booth and stood up._

_“Surprise?”_

_“What are you doing here?” He asked. “You were supposed to call me last night, I was worried.”_

_Arizona couldn’t answer, she just stared up at him, unshed tears in her eyes._

_“Are you okay? Did something happen to Callie? Oh god… or Mom and Dad?”_

_“No, I just… was in the… area,” Arizona finally found her voice, “and wanted to see you.”_

_“Wow, how did you find me here?” He gestured around the restaurant._

_“Fate.”_

“Fate?” Timothy chuckled. “Don’t be so dramatic, Arizona.”

“Coincidence then?”

“Better,” Tim agreed. He gestured for her to sit, then slid himself back into the booth when she was settled. “But, the most likely scenario is me mentioning this place to you a hundred times before. I come here all the time, especially on Thursdays—they have the best…”

“Egg-with-a-hat,” Arizona surprised herself knowing the answer.

“Yeah,” Tim shook his head, “but only the Thursday night cook. The guy that works the rest of the week can’t make an egg-with-a-hat to save his life. Anjelica, however… her's taste just like moms.”

Arizona couldn’t keep her eyes from roaming her brother’s face, it had been years since she had seen it in person. And far too long since she’d pulled out his picture. His hair was darker than hers—more chestnut, than golden like her own—but his eyes were just as blue as hers. He always had an air of seriousness about him, but his smile was charming and likable. Arizona knew the look of earnestness that most people saw hid a heart full of warmth and kindness.

“Why are you staring at me?” Tim asked. “I haven’t even received my food yet, so there can’t possibly be egg on my face.”

“I’m sorry, I just…,” Arizona shook her head. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. I’m just… taking you in.”

“God, you’re weird, Sis.” Tim looked at her with bewilderment “And kind of creepy.”

Joy bubbled up in Arizona’s chest and she couldn’t keep the smile from her face, or contain the laughter that burst forth— a laugh way louder than she’d ever allow herself in public under normal circumstances.

Once she got her joy under control, she apologized again, “I’m sorry, Timothy. I’m just so happy to see you. I have so much I want to talk to you about.”

“Well, alright then,” he said. “Let’s chat.”

***

Callie finished her call with the kids, but made no move to depart the small restaurant parking lot. Though she trusted Arizona, and Tim with Arizona, she was reluctant to leave. She felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility toward both her Arizona’s physical health and other Arizona’s emotional health. If she had to sit in the car for hours while Arizona reconnected with her long lost brother, then so be it. It was the least she could do.

***

“Why didn’t you call and let me know you’d be in town?” Tim asked. He’d received his food and was about to dig in. Arizona watched as he followed a ritual similar to the one her Timothy did before he started every meal. He moved his coffee to the side and position the handle to the right, turned the plate so it was just the sides were at the top, placed the napkin in his lap, and added salt and pepper. Same order, same routine.

“Oh, um…” she shook herself out of her thoughts, “It was a last minute thing… and I lost my phone on the plane. You know you should taste your food before you salt it, it may not need it.” Arizona had said the same to her brother multitudes of times over the years, but he just waved her off. Arizona suspected she’d said it in this universe before too.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Timothy said. “But I’m in perfect health, Sis. You don’t need to concern yourself with me and my salt intake, the Corps monitors my health just fine. You’re my sister, not my doctor.”

“I know I just… worry,” Arizona smiled. She  _couldn’t stop_  smiling.

“Thanks, mom,” Tim winked. “So, last minute thing?”

“Uhhh, yeah… I’m here for an emergency consult with… um, Addison Montgomery in LA.”

“I think you’ve mentioned her, friend of Callie’s… works at Seattle Grace with you. What she doing in LA?”

“Right… right, she’s still at Seattle Grace here… um, we are both consulting on uh… a former patient of ours that moved down here recently.”

Tim just shrugged and continued eating, easily accepting his sister’s explanation. He had no reason not to.

“Must be important to you both, to bring you all the way down here?”

Arizona sat there for a moment and didn’t say anything, causing Timothy to look up from his food, “Sis?”

Finally finding her voice, “Can I tell you about her?”

“Who? The patient? Sure,” Tim shrugged.

“It um, started with a car accident, the mother wasn’t wearing a seat belt, and she went through the windshield. She was twenty-three and a half weeks pregnant.”

“Wow, sounds bad.”

“It was horrible,” Arizona breathed. “Her… uh… The person that was driving, they were… they felt,” she closed her eyes and tried to center herself.

“Arizona?”

When she finally opened her eyes again, there were unshed tears. “Timothy, it was awful. So many decisions to be made, and… conflicting points-of-view and arguments… But in the end it didn’t matter. None of it mattered, because Addison had to deliver the baby to save them both. But twenty-three weeks is so early, you know? Too early. The baby didn’t have a heartbeat, she didn’t… and Dr. Karev he was trying, but… he couldn’t get her tiny heart to beat.”

Tim had stopped eating and was watching his sister closely, “Did she die?”

“No,” Arizona smiled. “I got her heart to beat. Her heart beat for  _me_.”

“Because you’re an awesome doctor, Arizona.”

“Yeah.”

“So, is the baby okay? She lived? And the mother?”

“They are both fine now… it took a long time, lots of rehab for Ca… uh, the mother. Sofia, the baby, was sixteen weeks early… 1lb 1oz of strong. She was in the NICU for twelve weeks. She had a few minor complications and one serious one— requiring a surgery on her tiny heart— but she’s fine now. Amazing, even. A little small, and maybe behind on a few benchmarks, but definitely amazing.”

“Sounds like she’s important to you.”

“She is. Very important, the utmost.”

“And she’s why you are here?”

“Kind of,” Arizona shrugged and didn’t elaborate further.

“Wow,” Tim resumed eating. “Why haven’t you told me about her before?”

“No reason,” Arizona deflected. Her throat was tight from emotion. She couldn’t talk about her baby anymore, she wanted Tim to know about Sofia and how important she was to Arizona, but it was too hard not being able to share the extent to which Sofia and Callie had changed her life. She needed the subject changed.

Luckily, the server chose that moment to stop by with a refill for Timothy’s coffee. Arizona took the opening to compose herself.

***

Callie scrolled through her contacts for another familiar name. Finally arriving at the one she’d been searching for, she selected Addie’s number and hit send.

“Come on… answer,” Callie mumbled while waiting for Addison to pick up.

“Dr. Torres,” Addison answered just as Callie was about to give up and end the call. “I was wondering when I’d hear from you again.”

“Sorry, Addie,” Callie said. “Things have been crazy for me this week. You have no idea.”

“I think I may have a little idea. Mark called and told me about Ellis Grey. It’s terrible, Callie. I’m flying up Saturday afternoon.”

“Really? Are you brining the baby?” Callie softened in anticipation of seeing Addison’s newborn.

“Of course. I’m bringing Jake too. I can’t wait for you to meet him. Maybe we can get someone to babysit and the four of us can go have drinks after the memorial. Sound doable?”

“Um, yeah sure, I guess… that sounds like something we could do. I’ll talk to Arizona about it, see if she’s up to it.”

“Good. So, I know you didn’t call just to catch up, you have that tone.”

“What tone?”

“That tone that says you are making small talk before asking me for a favor.”

“Humph,” Callie huffed. “I don’t have that kind of tone. And I call people for things other than favors! You sound like my sister.”

“Am I wrong?” Addison asked.

“Not entirely,” Callie begrudgingly admitted.

“It’s okay, Callie, just... Spit it out, I’m too tired to play the guessing game.”

“Is your mother still friends with Larry Jennings from the hospital board?”

***

Wanting to steer the conversation away from her sweet baby, who she was missing desperately, Arizona needed to come up with another topic of conversation. Eventually, her fear of what was happening to her body back in her reality, lead to the most obvious choice. She asked, “So, um… how is, uh… how’s your leg?”

“My leg? Is fine…,” he scrutinized his sister, trying to figure out her motive. She never liked to talk about his leg. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” she replied. “You can still do PT just fine?”

“Sure, I keep up. I have to, if I want to stay a Marine.”

“And you do? You want be a Marine?” She asked. It was something she always wondered about her own brother. Was he a Marine out of duty, or genuine love for the corps? “Have you ever considered retiring?”

“Why would I retire, Arizona? This is my life.”

“But… didn’t your life change when you lost your leg?”

“Of course it did, you know that. You were there, you watched me struggle with the decision.”

“Decision?”

“You helped me make the right choice, Sis,” Tim narrowed his eyes at his sibling. “Where is this coming from?”

“I’m just curious about how you are doing, Timmy, I… swear. I just want to know… I don’t…. I don’t know exactly what I’m trying to ask... I just tell me about it… all of it— can you do that? Can you tell me everything.”

“You were there, Sis.”

“I know, but… I just… Callie is pretty interested in orthopedics, and I was telling her about you,” She lied. It was the best she could come up with, but she desperately wanted to hear his story. “I can’t remember the specifics of your case… I think I blocked it all out. It was so… traumatic.”

“Well, okay,” Tim still regarded his sister a little warily, he had assumed she’d made her peace with his decision to amputate long ago, but now she seemed to be second guessing. He wondered if Callie had anything to do with Arizona’s newfound doubt. “I guess I could talk to Callie about it if you want?”

“No, no… that’s not,” Arizona stuttered through her explanation. “I’m not ready for you to meet her, I just want to have the facts straight when I talk about it.”

“Okay,” he sighed. He motioned to his server. “Are you sure you don’t want anything? They have some really great Key lime pie at this place.”

“Yuck, I hate Key lime pie.”

“Since when?”

“Oh, uh… no you are right,” Arizona was kicking herself inside. She reminded herself, non-committal declarations only. Stay vague. “I like Key lime pie… I just am not in the mood for it today.”

“Okay, so… what exactly do you want to know?”

“You said I helped you make a choice, what exactly were the options?”

“Well, the projectile tore through my femur causing it to splinter, the damage was devastating, but not hopeless—as you know. I was airlifted to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany,” he was speaking almost clinically now, “They were able to stabilize it with an external fixation and from there I was flown to Bethesda, then ultimately here to the Naval Medical Center San Diego, but with the extent of the muscle damage… there wasn’t much more they could do to fix the leg. As it was, the recovery would have been long and painful, and with significant loss of mobility. I would never have walked on that leg without a brace or crutches.”

“So you chose amputation? You just gave up?”

“No, I didn’t give up. Thanks to you,” Tim pointed at the doubtful woman sitting across from him, “I fought back. I took my recovery into my own hands. I chose to have my leg amputated because my quality of life would be better without that useless slab of meat, both physically and mentally. Sure, I had to give up some things, but not the important stuff. You know? If I had tried to keep the leg, I wouldn’t be a Marine right now. But with my prosthetic…? I’m mobile and capable…, and yeah, it took some time to come to terms with the loss, but I didn’t want to be dead, Arizona, and if I gave up what I love… just because of my leg, then I might as well have been. You were with me all through my recovery. You supported me when I decided to stay in the corps— you cheered me on! You’re my number one fan, little sister. Why the change of heart?”

Arizona wiped at a tear that breached her eyelashes, her thoughts a jumbled mess right now. Deep down she knew an amputation was a possibility for herself, she didn’t want to admit it out loud, but she knew. She also knew that her wife was brilliant and if anyone could save her leg it was Callie.

“No, change of heart, Timothy, I promise,” she sniffed. “I just wanted to hear about it from you.”

“And you did. Now let’s head on to brighter topics, like… Callie. Where is she, and why don’t you want me to meet her?”

***

Callie really had to pee. Her phone call with Addison long finished, she had nothing to do but sit in the car and think about how much coffee and water she’d had during their meal. She wondered if she could sneak into the restaurant and use the bathroom.

***

Arizona took a sip of the water that the server sat in front of her, “It’s not that I don’t want you to meet her, I do…. She’s uh… just not here.”

A bell that hung over the entrance chimed as the door to the restaurant swung open. From her vantage point, Arizona had a clear view of the doorway. Timothy was sitting opposite her facing away from the door. The blonde’s eyes went wide when she saw who was sneaking back into the restaurant. Callie had her hair pushed forward almost covering her face, and giant sunglasses on, even though it well past sundown. She was talking to the hostess and doing her pee dance. Despite her circumstances—her mind being in an alternate universe, while her body lay unconscious in the woods—she couldn’t contain the dazzling smile that formed on her face at  the sight of the fidgeting brunette.

“You’re thinking about her aren’t you?” Tim asked.

Arizona flicked her eyes back to her brother as Callie quietly slipped by to the restroom. Neither woman acknowledged the other.

“Sis?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Arizona was still a bit discombobulated by the brunettes return to the diner. “Did you say something?”

“I asked if you were thinking about her, because I haven’t seen you smile like that in years. She must be something.”

“She’s everything, Timothy. She’s everything.”

***

Callie was in the restroom washing her hands when the door crept open behind her, she looked up into the mirror to see Arizona’s reflections staring back at her.

“Hey,” Arizona said.

Callie grabbed a towel to dry her hands and turned to face the blonde, “Hey.”

“You’re still here,” Arizona said.

“I know,” Callie replied. “I couldn’t leave you… I was waiting in the car.”

“I told you, you don’t have to do that,” Arizona insisted. “Aren’t you bored?”

“I’m fine, Arizona,” Callie smiled. “I made a few phone calls, took care of some stuff, but then…”

“You really had to pee, I saw the dance,” Arizona smiled. “My Callie does that too.”

Callie chucked, “So does Allegra.”

“I wonder if Sofia will,” Arizona mused.

“So... uh, how are things going out there? Is it everything you thought it would be?”

“It’s been amazing, I just want a little more time,” Arizona replied. “Is that okay with you?”

“Of course it is, sweetheart, anything you need.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Calling you what?”

“Sweetheart. Is that what you call her?”

“No… I don’t call my Arizona sweetheart.”

“Then, why do you call me that?”

“I guess I call you that… because it helps me keep you two straight in my head.”

“Oh,” Arizona bit at her lip. “I like it, it makes me feel safe.”

“I’m glad. I always want you to feel safe.”

Arizona pointed over her shoulder, “I should get back. He’ll be finished that gross Key lime pie soon,” she shuddered. “Speaking of gross Key lime pie, apparently, your Arizona loves it, so you can file that tidbit away for future girlfriend points.”

“Okay,” Callie smiled, then her expression changed to a more serious one. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No, you can stay. I won’t be much longer, I’ve seen him… talked to him. I don’t want to spend too much more time with him, if I do… I’ll never want to leave.”

“I can’t imagine what it must be like,” Callie acknowledged.

“I’ll be fine,” Arizona reassured the other woman, “Are you just going to wait in the car for me?”

“Yeah, I can’t leave you,” Callie said. “I forgot I had my Sudoku in my purse. I can work on that while you finish up.”

The more time Arizona spent with this woman—the more similarities this one shared with her own Callie—made her miss home all the more. “Okay, see you in a few.”

“Take your time, Arizona, I don’t mind waiting.”

***

Arizona returned to the table with Timothy, while Callie discreetly made her way back out to the rental car.

Tim had just returned from paying and was leaving a tip on the table.

“Hey, Sis, I’m all finished here,” he said. “Where are you staying? You know my apartment isn’t much, but I have a pretty comfortable couch. You could take my bed, and I’ll…”

“No. No, thanks… I have a room. I’m actually meeting a colleague after this, so…”

“Oh, I get it. Big brother cramps you style. When are headed back home?”

“Um, Saturday morning I think?”

“Oh, man. That’s too bad. We are doing inspections tomorrow all day and into the night. I don’t think I’ll be able to get away…”

“It’s okay, Timmy,” Arizona smiled sadly. “I’ve… uh…”

“Had enough me, have you?”

“Never enough,” Arizona laughed quietly through her impending tears. “Never enough. I love you, Timothy.”

He pulled her into a warm embrace and replied, “I love you too, Sis.”

***

Callie was sitting in the car, quietly working on a particularly difficult puzzle when her phone rang startling the pencil right out of her hand. It was a number she didn’t recognize.

“Um, hello?” Callie tentatively answered.

“Dr. Torres, dear, thank the cosmos you answered.”

“Genie?”

“Yes, yes, it’s me,” came the old woman’s reply.  “I’m in a bit of a pickle, dear.”

“What happened?” Callie asked.

“I believe I’ve made a horrible mistake.”


	21. Chapter 21

_***_

_“Dr. Torres, dear, thank the cosmos you answered.”_

_“Genie?”_

_“Yes, yes, it’s me,” came the old woman’s reply.  “I’m in a bit of a pickle, dear.”_

_“What happened?” Callie asked._

_“I believe I’ve made a horrible mistake.”_

***

“Genie what did you do?” Callie growled into the phone. “Where’s my Arizona? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine, safely tucked away in her own subconscious. Probably dreaming of you.”

“Then what… oh god,” all sorts of horrible scenarios were going through Callie’s mind, but one in particular took hold and made her heart clench. “She’s not… other Arizona isn’t dead is she?” From her vantage point in the car, Callie could see Arizona and Timothy exit the restaurant. The smile on the blonde’s face was the most genuine that Callie had seen since the crossover. “Please tell me she didn’t die,” Callie begged.

“No, dear, quite the opposite, they’ve been found, a day earlier than I thought,” Genie said. “I didn’t account for time slip when I made my prediction.”

Callie breathed a sigh of relief, “God, Genie, you have to stop being so hyperbolic, every time I talk to you I almost die of a heart attack.”

“Huh,” Genie huffed. “Now who’s being hyperbolic?”

“Just tell me what we need to me do, and quickly, because she’s coming.”

Arizona was standing by Timothy’s truck and they were laughing about something Callie couldn’t even begin to guess.

“You just need to have her sleep, that’s all, but… things may be a little bit more, um, shall we say… problematic on my end.”

“I don’t understand? What?”

“Well, I didn’t actually explain to your counterpart who I was or why I was really there. I just told her that I was sent to help her with Sofia by her father—who, by the way, is in China on business and trying desperately to get back to support his daughter. Then, I was having a little trouble with her… trying get to her to calm down. She’s rather stubborn, you know.”

“Okay…?” Callie drawled out.

“I had to sedate her.”

“You what?”

“I sedated her, dear. It’s not a big deal, I just… can’t wake her up now. She’s going to miss the flight.”

“What… wait, what? What flight, and you sedated her? Genie you aren’t even a doctor! That’s dangerous!”

“According to the Law of Infinite Probability… I’m a doctor in some version of reality,” Genie argued. “Calm down.”

“Ugh, Genie you are killing me here. What did you give her?”

“That’s not important, what’s important is she’s not going to be there when Arizona wakes up. She’s not going to be in Boise to greet her wife, because I messed up the time. I thought we had another day. I miscalculated the time differential because it was multidirectional.”

“Wait… what, how did you mess up?”

“Time slippage, dear,” Genie explained. “I miscalculated the time slip.”

“What is a… time slip?”

“Shifting isn’t an exact science, Dr. Torres. You don’t always land at the corresponding times. It’s one of the things that allows you to be unconscious in one verse while you traipse about in another. That day you spent here in this universe—this reality— was night for you there. While you were sleeping in your reality, you spent ten hours, one day in the future. Do you understand? The time line in the various universes do run parallel-ish— time is what it is— but when you jump, it’s not always straight across, sometimes you slip. Time itself is always moving, Dr. Torres. Shifting between verses causes time slip, different for every universe. It depends on how far away the verse you are crossing over too, how much you will slip. The further away, the longer the slip.”

“I’m not sure I understand…”

“Imagine two trains running side-by-side at the same speed. If they were very close to each other and you jumped from one to the other…,” Genie led, expecting an answer from Callie.

“I… uh, would imagine I could jump between the two straight across,” Callie replied.

“Exactly, my dear. But when they are further apart… _in the time you are in the space between them_ they both continue to move forward….”

“ _Oh_ , I see,” Callie finally grasped what was saying. “So we don’t necessarily land at the same time that we left. But… wouldn’t we always land hours or days in the past?”

“Well, that’s a very good question, dear. I’m proud of you. My explanation is not a perfect analogy, because time isn’t actually always linear, but that’s a lesson for another day.”

“Come on, just real quick,” Callie asked.

“If you must know, you can ‘aim’ forward, well _you_ probably couldn’t—not yet—but once you reach my age you can slide forward or backward,” Genie explained. “Hmmm, let’s say your trains are running side-by-side again, but further away than you would be able to slide straight across, how would you jump if you wanted to end up as close to your current time or forward a bit?”

“I, uh… oh, I guess you’d jump at an angle further ahead than intended so you can land in the spot you want?”

“Exactly, my dear. You are a natural at this! I didn’t quite believe it before, but I do now. You are a born Shifter.”

“Um, okay, thanks I guess.”

“You should be thankful, you’ll be able to help a lot of people in your lifetime.”

“I wish I could help, Arizona.”

“You will, dear, more than you’ll know,” Callie could hear Genie moving around on the other end of the line. “We’ve run out of time. You must get your charge to sleep… and soon. They are airlifting them off of that mountain and to the hospital in Boise as we speak.”

“Okay, I can do that I guess,” Callie said. “But… do I tell her what happened? Why her wife will be late?”

“I don’t know… perhaps you should. What do you think?”

Callie looked out toward Arizona still talking and smiling with her brother, her hands flying while she shared something with him.

Callie sighed, “She deserves to know.”

“Okay, uh… explain to her it’s my fault that her wife won’t be there to greet her. That she hadn’t slept since the plane went missing and she was about to have a breakdown. Search and rescue told them it was not looking good finding survivors, and no amount of my reassurances would console her. I had to roofie her, for her own good. But, I thought I had another day.”

“Wow,” Callie said, then after a beat. “Did you say you roofied her? _You gave her Rohypnol_? Genie! You can’t do that.”

“I’m an old woman, dear. I make mistakes too,” Genie said. “I’m not perfect. Sometimes I panic and get it wrong. And… oh… oh dear, I have to go, I’m watching Little Miss Sofia while Callie, uh… sleeps, and I think she has soiled her pants.”

“Hold on one minute,” Callie said. “You are calling _from the other universe_? You can do that? What… how… I don’t understand!”

“There are many things I can do that you won’t understand for years to come, Callie Torres.”

She glanced back in the direction of Arizona and Timothy as she spoke to Genie, the blonde was fiercely hugging her brother goodbye. When the two parted, Tim got in his truck, and with a last wave, was out of the parking lot. Arizona watched as her brother drove off down the street. She didn’t look away until his truck was long out of sight, when she finally turned and made eye contact with Callie, she immediately started walking toward the car.

“Genie, she’s coming now… can’t you just talk to her…”

“Oh no dear, I’m out of time… our connection is only is temporary… and not actually over the phone,” Genie said.

“What does that mean?”

“It means we aren’t actually on the phone, dear,” Genie said. “I can’t talk to Arizona, only you and only for a few minutes… which seem to be up. I’ll see you soon, Callie. Send her back with sweet dreams.” The phone line went dead, leaving Callie alone to explain to Arizona.

“Dammit, Genie!” For the second time that evening Callie banged her head on the steering wheel of her rental car.

***

Arizona slipped into the passenger seat of the car to find Callie mumbling to herself, her head on the resting on the wheel.

“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked. “Callie are you okay?”

“I’m fine….” Callie sighed. She leaned back and turned to look into Arizona’s concerned eyes. “But… it’s time. You have to go back now.”

“Oh.”

“There’s more…,” Callie tentatively said.

“I’m dead aren’t I? I’m dead and that’s why I have to leave.”

“No. No… of course not.”

“But… Genie said they’d find us on Saturday, why do I have to go back early?”

“She miscalculated the time zone differences or something.”

“Our universes are in different time zones?”

“No…, not time zones,” Callie recalled what Genie has said. “You see there are these two trains… and they are going down the train tracks. You follow?”

“Uh huh, sure. I follow. Two trains. Moving along.”

“Right so the two trains are moving along and then you jump… but then if you are further away it makes you slip. There was apparently double slippage because of multiple jumps. And now you have to go back tonight.”

“Okay, I didn’t understand a word of that Callie.”

“Genie explained it better.”

“Take a deep breath and tell me again.”

“Basically, it comes down to Genie being wrong about the amount of time you needed to be here.”

“Oh, well okay. That’s fine, right? We always knew I was going home. I, uh got to spend some time with Tim and… I’m ready to go. I’m ready to see my girls.”

“Yeah, that’s the other thing,”

  
“What? What’s wrong with Callie? Sofia?”

“No, sweetheart, nothing’s wrong. It’s… it’s not like that. Your Callie was pretty upset, for obvious reasons, she wasn’t sleeping and Genie felt it was best to sedate her.”

“Okay,” Arizona swallowed hard, “She’s okay now, though, right? Callie is fine?”

“The thing is… Genie just sedated her right before they found you, so… uh, she won’t be able to make it to Boise to meet you with the rest of the families when you are rescued.”

“Oh,” Arizona’s brow furrowed. “Oh.”

“It doesn’t mean…,” Callie started.

“No, I understand,” Arizona said. “It’s okay. I understand. Let’s uh… get back to the hotel so I can sleep.”

***

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, neither woman spoke, both lost in their own heads. Callie couldn’t stop thinking about what Genie had told her about time slip. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she learned about this now for a reason. That it was somehow important, that fate had made Genie slip up and make this mistake, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

Arizona’s mind drifted from Callie and Sofia to Timothy to what condition she’d be waking up in. The exhaustion from the last few days was taking its toll on her, her eyes were starting to feel heavy, and the rhythm of the car was lulling her into a state of complete relaxation. She could barely keep her eyes open.

“Callie, I’m so tired,” Arizona mumbled as Callie pulled up to a stop light about a block from their hotel. “I can’t keep my eyes open. I guess Genie is right about one thing, it is really time for me to go back. I wonder how far back I’ll slip. I wonder if I’ll wake up in the hospital or still on the mountain.”

Callie looked over at the tired woman sitting next to her, selflessly awaiting her dreadful fate with the utmost dignity. And in that moment Callie knew. For the second time in her life she experienced a moment of clarity—an epiphany—the first being her need to have Arizona Robbins in her life, and now this—she knew what her destiny was.

“Arizona, don’t you dare fall asleep before we get back to the hotel,” Callie said. “I have a plan.” One that could possibly alter the course of the other reality.

“A plan? A plan to what?”

“To save you.”

***

Callie refused to say more until they were safely tucked away in their lush suite at the Four Seasons hotel. Arizona was sat in the middle of the king sized bed, her legs crossed and tucked under, while the brunette paced back and forth deep in thought.

“Okay, Callie, talk to me. What do you mean… save me?”

Callie stopped her pacing and turned to the confused blonde, “I’m embracing this destiny stuff, sweetheart. I’m sending you back, but not just back… _back_ _back_. You know what I mean?”

“I really don’t.”

“Back to your universe, but in the past… four days, so you don’t get on that plane.”

“Callie,” Arizona’s voice had a note of warning to it. “I don’t know….”

“Come on, why else would we find out I could send you back to a different point in time? Right now— _today_ —if I wasn’t meant to do that. Seriously, Arizona. Fate placed this option in front of me and I’m not ignoring it. We are not going to get another chance like this. We can’t miss this opportunity to change your destiny. We can do this,” Callie insisted. “I know we can. Can’t you feel it?”

“If this was possible, why wouldn’t Genie have mentioned it?”

“Maybe it’s a test or… or maybe it never occurred to her,” _or maybe it’s not allowed_ , but Callie didn’t say that part out loud. “All I know is we can’t not try. Arizona we have to do this.”

“What if it goes wrong, and I end up in the woods again… or god forbid, on the plane as it’s about to crash? I can’t… I can’t go through that again.”

“I know I can do this. I know I can,” Callie insisted. She sat on the edge of the bed and took Arizona’s hand in her own. “So, the question is… do you trust me?”

Arizona looked into those deep brown eyes and paused for only a second, “I do.”

***

“Callie?”

“Hmm?” Callie distractedly responded.

“Why are you lighting a bunch of candles?” After both agreeing to the attempt at changing Arizona’s destiny. Callie had called the concierge and had demanded they bring her a bunch of candles and some incense to their room. “You aren’t doing a ‘spell’, this isn’t… witchcraft is it?” Arizona chuckled.

“Um, no,” Callie’s brow furrowed. “At least I don’t think so.”

“Does Genie use candles and incense?”

“No, she uses baked goods. I just thought it would help with our concentration,” Callie replied. She went on to explain, “When Owen and I were separated the first time—before the boys were born, I used to go to yoga all the time. It helped me deal with Owen and his… stress and adultery. There were times when I was really able to reach a sense of… clarity. I knew for sure he wasn’t the person for me in those moments, I knew my destiny lied elsewhere, but it didn’t stick, because I let my dad talk me into going back to Owen. Of course I wouldn’t have had BoGo had it…,” she trailed off. “Sorry, I got sidetracked. What I was trying to say is that I feel like I need help with this,” she gestured to the candles and incense. “I think this will help.”

“You are so different than her,” Arizona said. “She’d never yoga.”

“Hmm,” Callie chuckled. “Maybe you should take her sometime, she might surprise you.”

“If this works, and my leg…,” Arizona’s throat tightened causing her voice to become rough, “I’ll definitely take her.”

“It’s going to work, Arizona,” Callie said. “I promise.”

***

“How far back do you think we should aim?”

“I don’t know, Arizona, you tell me… is our goal to stop you from getting on that plane, or stop the plane altogether?”

“We have to stop the plane, I can’t live with knowingly allowing my friends and coworkers get on a doomed plane.”

“I don’t know if we can change the fate of someone who died. You said someone—I can’t remember the name—passed away in the crash. I’m not sure we should mess with that. What if there are unforeseen consequences?”

“Then don’t send me back to the past, Callie. Let’s just scrap the whole idea, because I could never live with the guilt.”

“Okay, okay… all or nothing then,” Callie agreed. She didn’t care if there were consequences, she wasn’t sending Arizona back to suffer, not if she could help it.

“We send you back four? Maybe five days, and you….”

“Postpone the surgery, so we don’t have to even go to Boise… and… and I’ll make an anonymous call to NTSB and have them look into that airline and the plane. I don’t think it was Jerry’s fault, the pilot… he said he thought it was the engine.”

“Okay, let’s do this,” Callie breathed.

“Yep,” Arizona said, she was sitting on the small couch in the sitting room of their suite.

“Okay,” Callie bit her lip and looked around the room. “We do it now.”

“What exactly do we do?”

“Right, um… you just go lie down on the bed and go to sleep. Try thinking about where you want to end up. What day….” Callie hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. “You know, when you want to return and I’ll like… meditate and try to facilitate that.”

“I guess this is goodbye then?” Arizona said, suddenly emotional.

“It looks that way,” Callie replied, trying to keep her own emotions in check.

“It was nice meeting you, Callie Torres.”

“You too, Arizona Robbins,” Callie returned the sentiment. “Who knows, maybe we’ll see each other again?”

“Under better circumstances,” Arizona hoped.

“Of course,” Callie agreed. “Um, you tell your Callie not to be so stubborn.” She tried a joke to lighten the suddenly overwhelming atmosphere.

“I will,” Arizona said. “And tell your Arizona not to be afraid of your children.”

Callie just nodded. Arizona finally stood from the couch and they both fell into each other’s arms. They hugged each other tight—just for a moment—then Arizona stepped back and smiled.

She left Callie standing in the sitting room while she went to the bedroom. She paused in the doorway, and simply said, “See you,” before turning and entering the room.

Callie just stood there for a moment and stared toward bedroom, long enough to ensure Arizona was lying on the bed.

She took a deep breath and sat on the couch and concentrated on when and where she wanted Arizona to go.

Within minutes, Arizona was sound asleep. Her soft breathing drifting delicately from the darkened room.

***

Barely a moment had passed before a light knock sounded at the hotel room door. Callie was not in the least surprised to find Genie on the other side—her face unreadable. Neither said a word as Callie stepped aside and silently let Genie into the room. When the door was securely shut, Callie glanced over to the bedroom to make sure Arizona was still sound asleep. Once reassured of the blonde’s slumber, Callie turned to Genie and asked what she was dying to know.

“Did it work?”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I love everyone that is reading and enjoying this story. You keep me motivated despite being tired and sometimes overwhelmed with three kids and now a full-time job. To the guests who don't like the science I would suggest you read a story that doesn't involve science. I don't want to sound mean or anything, but this story is about shifting between alternate realities and time travel. There is going to be pseudo-science-y stuff. If that's not your thing, I suggest you give this story a pass. That being said, it won't be in every chapter, as a matter of fact after this one we are likely over the pseudo-science hump. For now.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and I appreciate every comment. Posting should stick to an every other week schedule even though I'm super busy now, writing this is my favorite thing to do, and I plan to continue for as long you guys are enjoying it too.

 

* * *

_Barely a moment had passed before a light knock sounded at the hotel room door. Callie was not in the least surprised to find Genie on the other side—her face unreadable. Neither said a word as Callie stepped aside and silently let Genie into the room. When the door was securely shut, Callie glanced over to the bedroom to make sure Arizona was still sound asleep. Once reassured of the blonde's slumber, Callie turned to Genie and asked what she was dying to know._

_"Did it work?"_

* * *

"Genie, answer me!"

"You are in no position to make demands, dear."

"Please, I need to know if I succeeded."

"Oh, you succeeded, alright. You broke the law of causality and succeeded in creating a  _time_   _paradox_. You  _succeeded_  in completely obliterating a universe."

"I uh… I  _obliterated_  an entire universe?" The force of that revelation caused Callie to stumble backward as if she had been struck. She made her way over to the couch and sat down hard. "That's bad, right? That's like  _really_  bad…."

"It does sound bad, doesn't it?" Genie came and sat next to the anxious brunette. She took Callie's hand in her own and held on tight. "But, luckily, there is no good or bad, Callie—no black or white, there are only shades of grey—many, many shades of grey. Way more than fifty."

"Wait… what? Fifty what?"

"Shades of grey, dear. Oh… wait, never mind. I forgot where I was for a second. You would get that _literary reference_  —and I use this term loosely—in the other universe."

Callie ignored Genie's shades of grey comment, and focused on the 'no bad' part, "What are you saying? Did it… it actually worked? I sent her back and she stopped the plane crash?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. You saved her  _and_  her leg, but in doing so, you caused that reality—the one in which her plane crashed—to cease to exist. A whole new reality will take over in its stead. Anything that was fated to happen in that post-plane-crash world has all been throw into a state of uncertainty. You two created a whole new reality. Fate is shifting and adjusting. Attempting to repair what you broke," Genie sighed in frustration. "I'm afraid you've put me in a very difficult position. You created a paradox, dear, those aren't to be trifled with."

Callie tried to contain her happiness at learning her plan had worked. She wanted to show Genie that she was contrite, that she understood the stakes. "I'm sorry, Genie."

"Are you?" The old woman asked. She seem sincere in her inquiry.

"No," Callie admitted. She felt compelled to answer honestly. "I'm not."

"Good," Genie said. Though it came and went quickly, Callie detected a hint of a smile on her mentor's face. "Because I can't fix a paradox, so you had better embrace it. I hope  _she_  doesn't regret it either."

"Will she be okay?" Callie asked. "Fate isn't going to come after her and take her leg is it? She won't always have to be looking over her shoulder afraid of sudden dismemberment, will she?"

"It's not likely, dear. Fate doesn't hold a grudge. Death, however, is a bit trickier. Sometimes, that's meant-to-be in such a way that it can't be avoided."

"Oh God, what are you saying?" Callie was suddenly nervous again.

"The timeline may correct itself. With regards to any deaths you thwarted. Alexandra Grey died as a result of that crash, and now… I honestly can't say what's going to happen to her."

"You can't or…"

"I can't," the older woman insisted. "I literally can't foresee anything in that universe… at least not yet. It's too new. But I can say, it's unlikely to be anything other than certain death."

"Give it to me straight, Genie," Callie said. "Will there be any repercussions for me?"

"Oh yes, there are always consequences, Dr. Torres. You broke the law of causality."

"What does that mean? The law of causality?"

"Cause and effect, dear. One event happens in a particular universe and as a result it leads to another and another in an endless series of events. In every instance, the cause occurs before the effect. It's a bit more complicated in our case, because of the multiple universes involved, but the basics are as such: The other Arizona was in a plane crash, causing the other you to subconsciously shift her to our universe in an attempt to protect her, causing the need for you to send her back. One thing happens because the other already happened. Now, when you shifted her back further  _in time_ , you stopped the very reason she was sent here in the first place, her reason for shifting universes no longer exists, thus the paradox."

"And it's this paradox that has put you in a difficult position?"

"Yes, the Cosmos abhors a paradox. It violates reality."

"I've broken the law of causality and violated reality by creating a paradox."

"Yes, dear, you've had quite a Thursday evening."

"I feel like my life is just an endless string of eventful Thursdays," Callie sighed. She rubbed at her eyes in frustration. "Just rip off the Band-Aid, Genie. I can tell there is more."

"A price must be paid. You can't just alter destiny and expect to get off scot-free."

"I accept that…," Callie was ready to submit to her fate, but she was worried about the consequences to others, two others in particular. "Just… don't punish either Arizona, okay? I did this.  _I_ did."

"I know," Genie replied "It's why  _you_  must suffer the disciplinary action." Genie paused in an attempt to let Callie prepare for the news to come, but in doing so she just made the brunette more anxious.

"Just…, tell me!" Callie spoke louder than she intended. She glanced toward the room where Arizona lie sleeping, she feared waking the slumbering blonde. She scrutinized the covered body, carefully watching for the slow deep breaths that usually indicate deep sleep.

"Calliope Iphigenia Torres," Genie tried to get the suddenly distracted brunette to look back in her direction. "Do you wish to know your punishment or not?"

Callie blinked and she shifted her gaze back to Genie, "Um, yeah. Go ahead."

"You," Genie declared. "Are…  _grounded_."

"I'm sorry, what?" Callie asked. "I'm what?"

"Grounded."

"Like… no going out with my friends, take away my phone, no computer grounded? Or…?"

"Don't be obtuse, dear," Genie scolded. "Grounded. As in, no more shifting to that universe."

"Oh," Callie said calmly. Suddenly, the idea of never finding out what happened to or seeing the other Arizona again pervaded her thoughts. "Oh no."

Genie explained to Callie that it wasn't actually a punishment, per se, but more of a side-effect of the paradox. She could no longer shift between these two universes, at least for the foreseeable future. Her transgression had caused a paradox between the two universes that could only be repaired with the passage of time. And until the other universe healed itself—righted its fate—it would be inaccessible, isolated. Shifting in and out would be difficult for anyone, but Callie in particular, as she was the catalyst for the damage. Genie assured her, that over time, that universe—the new one that would grow in the place of the one she destroyed—would restore itself and thrive, things in that reality may be a little different, but overall fate was hard to foil, sometimes fate played the long game. It would find a way.

Genie strongly suggested that Callie not try shifting to any other universes either as they were further away and thus harder to navigate, she wanted Callie to learn more before shifting on her own.

Callie accepted Genie's explanation with little comment, however she did have a few questions about the nature of the change and what would happen.

"Why isn't fate completely different in that universe if I obliterated everything that happened post-crash? You said I destroyed that version of the future and a whole new one would be taking over. If everyone's fate is ultimately the same… what's different?"

"You did indeed destroy that future. Nothing that would have happened  _after_  the crash will be the same, and anything that does happen that is the same or similar, won't necessarily happen in the same way. Causality will be different. Do you understand?"

"I think so, but now I'm even more worried about Arizona's leg."

"Don't worry about that dear. The loss of her leg would have changed her for a time, but in the end, she would have recovered and found herself again. So her destiny is the same, even though her fate was changed. However, that crash killed the younger Dr. Grey, her destiny was already set. Remember, dear, destiny is the completion of fate, the  _end destination_. It's all very complicated and there is some seriously in-depth math involved, but what it all boils down to is: where everyone was destined to end up can't be changed, the manner of how they get there can. The loss or not of Arizona's leg doesn't fundamentally alter her destiny. However, I'm afraid the young Dr. Grey of that universe is doomed."

"I have one more question," Callie asked. "Then you can go so I can explain all of this to my Arizona."

"Go ahead, I'll answer if I can."

"Will I be the only one to remember?"

"No, dear. The other Arizona will always remember the crash, and the aftermath—both on that mountain before she shifted and her time spent here with you. The crash, however, will be with her and only her forever. She still experienced it. She will have two sets of memory of those days. It will weigh hard on her, but I have faith she'll pull through."

"She's strong," Callie agreed.

"She is."

"Will she…?"

"I'm not answering anymore of these questions, dear," Genie interrupted. "You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else."

* * *

Callie sat alone on the sofa after Genie left, pondering everything that had happened over the past few days. Callie had been reassured that the other Arizona was okay, and would continue to be so, but Genie wouldn't elaborate further. Apparently, not knowing any details,  _was_  part of Callie's punishment.

Callie felt little remorse for what she'd done, she preferred to view it as destroying a future that didn't exist yet. It hadn't actually happened, so how could she regret changing it? She made a choice, one she would make again if she had to. She tried to put poor Lexie Grey and her unfortunate destiny out of her mind—other than that, things could have been much worse. That universe would continue on—it would keep ticking, slightly altered, but still moving on in a forward march toward destiny.

Now all she needed to do was figure out what to say to  _her_  Arizona. How was she going to explain all of this?

As if the mere thought of  _her_  Arizona had the power to summon, Callie heard a soft exhale of breath at the door separating the sitting room and the bedroom.

Callie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had suspected earlier that Arizona had been awake and heard some of what she and Genie had been discussing, but when the blonde didn't come out of the room or broadcast that she was up while Genie was there, she thought maybe she'd been mistaken. "How long have you been awake," Callie asked without turning around.

"Long enough," Arizona answered.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough to know something really, really  _freaking_   _weird_  is going on, but not enough to explain where we are or how we got here and… and I why I don't remember anything."

Callie finally turned around on the sofa and looked in the direction of the confused blonde. "Um… I uh. I can't… I don't know how to explain."

"Calliope Torres, where the hell are we?" Arizona asked, a noticeable edge to her voice. "And how did we get here?"

Callie swallowed hard and finally replied. "We're in San Diego. We, um… we came on a plane."

"San Diego? What?"

"Yeah, we uh… we came to visit your brother," Callie said. "You  _really_  wanted to see your brother."

"Okay... visit my brother," Arizona nodded. She glanced around the luxury hotel room, not recognizing anything. "Why don't I remember?"

"Because… uh…" Callie sighed. She'd been thinking about how she was going to explain this to her Arizona since they left Seattle. She'd only come up with one thing. "Would you buy that you were suffering from ASP?"

"What?"

"You know… ASP—amnesic shellfish poisoning? Domoic acid."

"No," Arizona shook her head. "No, I don't buy that at all, Callie, just tell me the truth. What's going on?"

"Why don't you come sit?" Callie pointed to the vacant spot on the couch next to her.

At first Arizona seemed a bit apprehensive, but she did join Callie on the sofa.

"Okay, here goes… I have the ability… well,  _I used_  to have the ability to cross between—and send people between—alternate universes, and um… remember when your plane almost crashed? Well, it did crash in one universe. Yeah, and… another version of me was really sad and missing the other version of you while you were missing and presumed likely dead post-crash, so other me sent the other you here so you wouldn't suffer. And you don't remember any of it because she occupied your body and suppressed your consciousness. She was here and you were… sleeping. But then I sent her back in time to change her destiny and…. Oh! You remember Genie, yeah? Right, no… of course you do, she was just here and… well, um she can shift between 'verses too. But she was kind of mad that I changed other Arizona's destiny and destroyed a universe and… uh, oh! I a created a paradox… so now I'm grounded until the other universe rights itself. That's what you heard us talking about." Callie managed to get it all out in one go. She held her breath in anticipation of Arizona's reaction.

Arizona, for her part, didn't say anything for the longest time. So long, in fact, that Callie was starting to feel light-headed from lack of oxygen due to her breath holding.

Arizona finally blinked; she licked her lips and her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, then back to the waiting brunette. "Amnesic shellfish poisoning, huh? Sounds plausible."

* * *

Arizona was up and pacing, "Are you seriously suggesting I, uh… ingested some shellfish that was contaminated with domoic acid?"

Callie just shrugged her shoulders, she hated the idea of lying to her girlfriend, but if Arizona couldn't accept the truth, what choice did she have?

"Callie! That is a biotoxin! I could have brain damage… dementia, epilepsy, tremors! Why did you let me come to San Diego instead of taking me to the hospital?" Arizona ranted. Callie's demeanor gave the impression of a teenager being scolded. She looked like she was afraid Arizona was going to ground her too. "God, I don't know how to react to this. You should take me the hospital now. Have them run some tests. Wait… what day is it?"

"It's uh… late Thursday night. We flew down early this morning. You were pretty adamant," Callie was at a loss as to what to say.

"Thursday? So… it was just last night that I returned from Boise? That I told you…"

"That you love me?" Callie swallowed hard. "Yes, that was yesterday." She glanced over at the clock on the desk. "Actually, it's after midnight now, so it's officially Friday. But yeah, you told me you loved me for the first time roughly twenty-eight hours ago."

"And we just flew down to San Diego?"

"You were upset and wanted to see your brother, so we jumped on a flight at the butt-crack of dawn. Napped this afternoon, then you had dinner with Timothy."

"Okay," Arizona had stopped her pacing and was standing directly in front of the seemingly dejected brunette. "When did I eat this bad seafood?"

"Oh, um… in Boise?" Callie ventured.

"Nope."

"Are you sure? Maybe you forgot." She tried.

"Neurological symptoms of domoic acid don't present until about forty-eight hours post ingestion of the biotoxin. Callie we live in the Pacific Northwest, the amnesic shellfish poisoning capital of the world. I am very familiar with the symptoms and effects of domoic acid. None of  _this_  makes sense!"

"I'm sorry," Callie's shoulders slumped and tears formed in her eyes. "I can't…," she covered her face with her hands.

Despite being angry and confused, the sight of Callie in tears brought Arizona immediately to her side. She rubbed the weeping brunette's back, "What? You can't what?"

"I can't stand lying to you, Arizona."

"Then don't."

Callie looked directly into the Arizona's crystal blue eyes and knew this time the other woman would believe her. "Okay," she exhaled a shuddering breath. "Everything I said earlier was the absolute truth. For the past twenty-four plus hours your body has played host to the consciousness of another version of you. A version of you that was in a plane crash. A version of you that was suffering, lost on a mountainside with an open femoral fracture, a probable pulmonary embolism, and most likely a raging infection." Callie took a moment to steady her voice before continuing, "Apparently, I have the ability to travel between alternate realities. I can also send other people back and forth between alternate realities. It's kind of a new development." She grasped Arizona's hands in her own and held them tight. "I want to tell you all about it. Can I? Please?"

Arizona looked at their intertwined hands, she gave Callie's a gentle squeeze and nodded for the other woman to carry on.

Callie spent the next hour telling Arizona about everything, she left nothing unsaid: the moment she met Genie, her first trip to the alternate universe and the effect that had on her, all the things that Genie explained to her about destiny and fate and how they were meant to be together, how Genie explained that Callie would have been able to do this  _shifting_  often and at will, but for now she was grounded… unable to know what will become of the other Arizona and her universe. The whole time she spoke Arizona remained silent, not giving any indication of how she was processing all of this information. If she was even believing it.

Arizona finally broke her silence, "Do you… love her?"

"Who?" Callie asked.

"Me… the other me. Do you love her?"

"Arizona, I love you."

"But… you erased an entire universe just to stop her suffering."

"Potential universe. The way I see it is… I erased a  _potential_   _future_. If that future was really meant to happen… I, or anyone else, couldn't have changed it. So the very fact that I was able to, means I was meant to."

"That's a pretty reasonable rationalization," Arizona admitted. "But you didn't actually answer my question."

"I did. I told you that I love  _you."_

"But you didn't deny loving her either."

" _She is you_."

"No, she isn't."

"She's married… to  _me_."

"Still doesn't answer my question," Arizona looked down and wiped at tear that threatened to escape the safety of her eyelashes.

"Arizona Robbins, look at me," Callie lifted Arizona's face so she could look into the blonde's tear glistened eyes. "I. Love. You. Only you. Do you understand? That other you… she doesn't own my heart, you do. She's… confusing because she looks like you, but she's not you. You are  _my_   _Arizona_.  _You_  are my girl.  _I love you_. Okay?"

"Okay," her voice quivered despite her acceptance.

" _I have died every day waiting for you, darling don't be afraid. I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more_."

"Did you just… song lyric me?"

"Mm, maybe." Callie's eyebrow lifted and she continued to sing, " _And all along I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me. I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more_." Callie's expression suddenly became earnest. She needed Arizona to understand. "Seriously, Arizona. I feel like I've been searching for you my entire life. You. Not the person you have been for the past day, the person you are now. The person you were last week. The person you'll be next week."

"I'm sorry," Arizona sighed. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Don't apologize," Callie smiled. "If you were to spend some time with other me… I'd be jealous too. I'm pretty hot over there too, you know."

"I wasn't jealous," Arizona denied.

"You were," Callie pulled the other woman closer. "You were jealous of yourself."

"Hrmph," Arizona grumped. She tried to keep a stern face, but Callie's perfect face and perfect lips were moving closer… and closer….

They stopped just short of where Arizona wanted them.

Callie rubbed her nose lightly against Arizona's and asked, "Can I please kiss the jealous away?"

"Hmm. Maybe," Arizona strained to remain indignant, it lasted all of two seconds. As soon as Callie started to pull away she gave in and kissed the brunette hard. Right on the lips.

Callie spent the better part of the next hour showing Arizona just how much she loved her, and only her. Words and actions both convincing Arizona she had nothing to worry about, Callie loved her. She loved Callie. They were each other's destiny.


	23. Chapter 23

The sun was already high in the sky, shining a thin beam through the crack in the mostly drawn blinds of the hotel bedroom window. Despite it almost being lunchtime, Callie and Arizona were just beginning to stir. They were up well past midnight the night before and other than the small nap Thursday afternoon, their _bodies_ hadn’t slept much in the last thirty hours. The two exhausted women were catching up on some much needed rest.

As Arizona slowly came to consciousness, she snuggled in close to the still snoozing brunette, her half asleep brain tried to make sense of all of the insane sounding stuff that Callie had told her the night before.

The more she thought about it, the more she wasn’t sure she believed it. How could she just accept as true that there were other universes? She believed that Callie believed it, and she told Callie that she believed it, but she was a scientist—she could only take such information on faith for so long. She would need proof before she fully accepted that as reality.

She pulled Callie tighter to her body. What did it mean for them if what Callie said was true… and even more importantly, what did it mean if it wasn’t?

Either way—loving Callie Torres wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be intense and difficult and complicated. Her life would probably never be boring, but Arizona couldn’t imagine a world in which she didn’t love Callie Torres. They felt inevitable. And it all happened so quickly—one minute Arizona was living the single life, happy, but unfulfilled and Callie was married to a man, a man Arizona knew and kind of liked—sometimes. The next thing she knew Callie was in her life and she was in Callie’s and they were together and in love, and honestly, she wouldn’t have it any other way. All the kids and ex-husbands and strange old ladies who told tales of other realities, none of that mattered. Arizona was here for it all, and would continue to be. She was in love with an amazing woman, and she knew their potential life together could be amazing as well.

She placed a gentle kiss on a bare shoulder and sighed.

“What’s going on in the beautiful brain of yours?” Callie asked, causing Arizona to jump. “I can hear you thinking.” Callie turned her body so they were face-to-face. She reached up and lightly ran her fingers across Arizona’s brow. “It’s really loud.”

“Wait, you can’t really hear my thoughts… can you?” Arizona narrowed her eyes at the other woman. “I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised with all the other crazy stuff you told me last night. Just one more thing to deal with, right?”

Callie kissed the babbling blonde on the nose. “Nope, I’m not a mind reader, but… I _can_ tell something is bothering you.” Arizona didn’t immediately respond, so Callie added, “Please don’t hide from me, I know what that’s like and it’s no way to live, so if you have something on your mind I would prefer you tell me so we can discuss it, and promise I’ll do the same.”

Arizona sighed, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure what she was thinking, so how could she share it with Callie?

When Arizona didn’t say anything for the longest time, Callie said. “My assumptions are usually wrong, but in this case I’m going to guess you think I’m just a little bit crazy?”

“No, no… that’s not,” Arizona stumbled. “I don’t think you are crazy, Callie, I swear. I just… I think I need to see it before I completely believe it.”

“You want some proof.”

Arizona shrugged her shoulders as best she could in her horizontal position on the bed.

“I understand. I do. Honestly, I wish I had some proof to offer you, but I don’t. I’m grounded, I can’t take you anywhere. Once I’m back in the shifting business… _after_ Genie teaches me to not destroy universes and change the future… we can go together. We’ll go and see how the other Arizona is doing.”

“Hmm,” Arizona frowned at the mention of her counterpart. “Why that universe? Can’t we visit another one?”

“Um, I’ve never been anywhere else, but theoretically it’s possible. Why?”

“No reason,” Arizona lied, she had a reason, just not one she cared to admit.

“Arizona.”

“I feel like… like you…,” she sighed. “Are you infatuated with her? That other me?”

“What?!”

“I mean, I get it… You had this epic adventure with her… a universe-altering adventure, and I… I haven’t even met your kids yet. And… and maybe we moved too fast?” Arizona’s insecurities were taking over and she couldn’t stop the words from coming out of her mouth or the tears that sprung to her eyes. “Maybe I’m not the person you were meant to be with? Maybe it’s the other me… and I’m just some _placeholder_.”

“Hey! Don’t, don’t,” Callie kissed the distressed blonde. “Don’t say that. Don’t.” She breathed, her eyes drifted closed and she pressed their foreheads together and asked, “Are you having doubts? Because… I’m not. I want to have a lifetime of adventures with you. _You_.” Callie placed her hand over Arizona’s heart, “only you.”

Arizona’s eyes were still closed tight, trying to fight off the tears.

“I thought we figured this out last night?” Callie whispered.

Arizona pulled back and sniffed. She desperately wiped at her tears, “We did, I’m sorry. It’s just… every time I think about you with that other me I want to hit her with a brick.”

“Okay, that’s a little violent…”

“Not a real brick, Callie, a metaphorical brick,” Arizona sighed. “A transdimensional brick, so it could cross universes…. It’s just… we are _so new_. So new,” she pushed some of Callie’s hair behind her ear. “And it all feels complicated and fragile. It scares me. You scare me.”

“You’re still afraid of me?”

“Yes, you still terrify me.”

***

Arizona was on her back in the bed staring at the ceiling, she hadn’t meant to blurt out her insecurities. She really hadn’t. She had meant to be strong and brave and a good man in a storm but once she started confessing, she couldn’t stop. And now Callie was in the other room on the phone with Owen who had called and interrupted before Arizona could clarify her fears.

He’d called, most likely, to talk about the kids—another part of Callie’s life that she had thus far been excluded from.

She hated feeling like this. Excluded. Arizona couldn’t stand being on the outside looking in. Moving around a lot when she was young had put her in that position more often than she cared to think about, and though she’d mostly gotten over her childhood desire for constant inclusion, it still hurt when it was someone important. Now she was being left out by her brand new girlfriend. Not on purpose, and certainly not with malice, but it still stung.

She jumped out of the bed and started forcefully throwing her clothes on. She needed some air and time to think, she was getting angry, maybe irrationally and maybe not, but she didn’t want to take that anger out on Callie. That wouldn’t be fair. It wasn’t Callie’s fault that she could shift between universes and it wasn’t Callie’s fault that she had responsibilities to her family that Arizona didn’t share, and it wasn’t Callie’s fault that Arizona didn’t want to admit to feeling this way. So she would go, clear her head, then maybe come back later and finish this conversation with Callie.

***

Callie ended the call with Owen and returned to the bedroom of the hotel suite to find Arizona fully dressed and putting her shoes on.

“Hey,” Callie said. “Sorry about that, but Owen…”

“Look, um…,” Arizona interrupted Callie before she could finish the sentence. “I think I’m going to go visit with my brother for a while. We can… finish our conversation later, okay?” She stood up and walked out the bedroom door.

Callie was so startled by the dismissal, it took her a moment to recover and follow the blonde into the sitting room of the suite.

“No,” Callie simply said, with such a force that it stopped Arizona at the door.  “Arizona, no, we need to clear this up now. Please don’t walk away from me. Please, don’t.”

Arizona turned and looked back at the vulnerable woman standing there, still grasping her mobile phone in one hand. Her hair was a mess from a long night of sleep—and more—and she was only wearing a t-shirt and panties.

“Please,” Callie said. “I’m sorry… for whatever I did, I’m sorry. I know everything is all weird and daunting right now, and… I scare you. And… and if you need time to process all of this that’s fine, I understand. But, please don’t run.”

“Callie,” Arizona sighed. “I just need some time to think.”

“Okay. I uh, I think other you mentioned your brother working all day today… but,” She went over to the desk in the room and grabbed a set of keys. “If you really need to go… Here are the keys to the rental, it’s a white Prius. Take it, take all the time you need. Just be safe, okay? And come back. I’ll be here waiting.”

Arizona stood silent by the door the whole time Callie spoke, she was torn between wanting to leave and think and wanting to stay in their beautiful pink bubble and hold Callie all day. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled she felt her anger lessen and be replaced with something else. Something more. Her frustration was replaced with determination. Determination to not run away from what she was feeling. Determination to own her feelings and share them with Callie. After all, isn’t that what Callie had just asked her to do? Callie couldn’t possibly be mad at her if shared what she was feeling. She’d specifically asked for it.

“I’m jealous.”

“What?”

“No, not jealous… that’s not the right word. I just… I love you so much. I… want all of you. All the time,” Arizona took a step toward the now silent brunette. “And there are parts of you that I can’t share and it makes me sad… and a little mad too. You and Owen will always have your children. You and other me will always have your world changing escapade. And you and I… what do we have?”

“We have a future together, Arizona. A whole future. You and I?” Callie pointed from Arizona to herself. “We’ve only just begun. Our story isn’t even written yet.”

“And you’ll share that with me? All of it? Us together?”

“Of course I will, of course.”

“See, still terrifying.”

“How so?”

“Because I feel _so_ much for you _so_ soon, you have this hold on me. The power to completely destroy me. I’ve never felt like this before. So… _needy_.”

“You think you are the only one risking devastation? Feeling that fear? Afraid that all of my baggage will be too much for you? Afraid you’ll leave me and I’ll have to go back to before—not feeling whole? Unfulfilled. I need you, too. We can be terrified together.”

Arizona sniffed, “Or we can promise, right here and now, that we’ll always be open and honest with each other. Any time we are feeling scared, we just talk about it and that way it doesn’t fester into something larger and unhealthy. Because, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” Callie replied, her voice quivering with emotion. “I promise to always share my feelings with you, both good and bad.”

Arizona nodded. “Can, uh… Can I hug you now?”

“Always.”

Callie opened her arms to the other woman, who crossed the room in an instant. They fell into each other’s embrace and held the other tight.

“I’m sorry… I wasn’t bailing, I just… wanted some time to process. I didn’t want you to think I was being petty and jealous. Even though I was being a little bit jealous. I was feeling out-of-the-loopy with the whole being unconscious while you spent time with another me, and I didn’t like it. It made me cranky,” She pulled back from the hug and flopped down on the small sofa. “Then Owen called and it was one more thing I wasn’t a part of, and I know I don’t need to be involved in conversations you two have about your kids. It’s none of my business, but coming right on heels of the other thing… it just made me even grumpier.”

Callie smiled softly and sat next to Arizona on the couch. “I understand. I do, and if we are going to be a part of each other’s lives, my children _will_ be your business. If you want them to be, that is. I don’t want to hide anything from you, nor do I want to force anything on you. Even kid stuff, but….”

“But?”

“But this call with Owen wasn’t about my children, it was about _you_.”

“Me? How?”

“Well, it seems the hospital board is starting interviews to replace Ellis next week. And um… I, uh tried to have this stopped before it actually became an issue, but it didn’t work and now Lauren Boswell will be at the hospital next Thursday to interview for the position of Chief of Surgery.”

“Oh. Huh,” Arizona was stunned. “That… sucks.”

***

“Wait, how does Owen even know about her to call you and warn you?” Arizona asked, irritation worming its way back into her voice. “Were you talking about her with him?”

“No, Arizona, no. I would never share your personal stuff with him. I swear. It’s just… yesterday when you were _unavailable…_ I called him to tell him where we were. I hadn’t let anyone know we were flying to San Diego. I said you had a family emergency and uh… he also thinks you have food poisoning—it is way easier to lie to him than you, by the way.  Anyway, we were talking about Ellis’ memorial and he mentioned the sharks were already circling for Ellis’ job. Erica Hahn, Preston Burke, Mark Sloan and a few others people I don’t know, which is when he mentioned Lauren. I immediately knew who he was talking about and I may have suggested that she wouldn’t be the best choice for the position because of her serious lack of professional ethics. But… I did mention that she was your ex, is that okay?”

“Uh, yeah, sure… I guess. It’s not really a secret that we dated. Did you tell him any specifics about...?”

“I did not tell him that she stole your Carter Madison, it’s not my place. I just mentioned there was a history but it was your story to tell… or not. Your choice.”

“Thank you, Callie,” Arizona licked her lips. “I know I shouldn’t be so embarrassed by it, I was the victim, but I’d rather it not be common knowledge. Especially after so long… I should have said something when it happened. If I were to say anything now, it would just look like sour grapes, or that I’m a bitter ex. Ugh,” she covered her face with her hands. “This really sucks.”

“Hey, it was your ordeal, you handled it how you handled it. No one is judging you, especially not me. God knows I’ve made some poor choices in my life.”

“What should I do?”

“Well, Owen couldn’t stop the interview, especially without being able to point to a specific reason, but, I do have one more trick up my sleeve…. Addison Montgomery Shepherd.”

“Addison is up your sleeve?”

“Well, not Addison actually. Her mother.”

“Addison’s mother is up your sleeve?”

“No, silly. But she is friends with Larry Jennings on the board. I told her we may need to be calling in a favor. In fact, Addison said she was flying up for the memorial on Sunday, but I was thinking maybe we could drive up to LA this afternoon and talk to her.”

“I don’t know, I mean… I don’t mind visiting Addison, but I’m not sure about what to tell her. Do I tell her everything?”

“Well, that’s up to you, Arizona. But I can tell you she would be nothing but supportive. I mean, have you seen what’s going on in her life lately? It’s a mess. Everyone at Seattle Grace is a mess. Addison and her connections could be a powerful ally. Trust me on this. She can help. Then maybe we could fly home early. Spend tomorrow at my house… with my kids?”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yep, let’s shower, head up to the City of Angels, and see if we can keep that unethical bitch from getting another job she doesn’t deserve. And then go _home_.”

***

Callie and Arizona checked out of the hotel and headed up the I-5 toward Los Angeles. Arizona drove while Callie called Addison to let her know they were coming and then called her sister to book them a flight home.

_“Callie Hunt, didn’t I tell you yesterday that I wasn’t a travel agent?”_ Aria complained from the other end of the phone line.

“Don’t’ call me that, Aria! You know it irritates me and it’s not my name. It never was.”

“What? What did she call you?” Arizona asked, trying to eavesdrop on half a conversation.

“ _Relax, sister. I wouldn’t say it if it didn’t annoy you_.”

“She called me Callie Hunt,” Callie answered Arizona.

“Oh, ew,” Arizona replied.

_“Who are you talking to?”_ Aria asked.

“Arizona.”

“What?” Arizona glanced at Callie.

“Not you… I’m not… That was,” Callie pointed to the phone.

“Ah, you weren’t talking to me, where you?” Arizona asked.

_“Oh! Yes! Let me talk to hot girlfriend!”_ Aria said from the phone.

“No!” Callie shouted.

“Okay, gee Calliope, you don’t have to yell!”

_“At least take a picture of her and send it to me, you know you need my approval!”_

“You need to stop!”

“Stop driving?” Arizona asked, her confusion apparent.

“Stop talking! I can’t with the both of you at the same time. Arizona, eyes on the road. Aria, mind your business.”

_“I was trying to mind my business. You are the one who called me begging for help again,”_ Aria replied.

“Just book us a flight, please?”

_“Not without a picture.”_ Aria was having too much fun teasing her sister to give in just yet.

“Fine,” Callie sighed. She ended the call and held her phone up toward woman behind the wheel.

“What are you doing?” Arizona asked. She glanced over in Callie’s direction just as the camera flash went off causing her eyes to blink involuntarily and the car to swing over toward the other lane. “Hey!” she yelled as she squinted her eyes to correct her vision and carefully eased out of her swerve and righted the car. “Are you trying to kill us?”

“Oh god, Arizona! I’m sorry. I didn’t know the flash was on and my stupid sister won’t book our flight without a picture of you. I’m so sorry.”

“Nothing like an afternoon heart attack to get the blood pumping.”

“I’m so, so… sorry.”

“It’s fine, really. This car handles surprisingly well,” she nodded her head in Callie’s direction “You go ahead and blow your sister away with my images of my hotness.” Arizona shot the other woman a quick wink. “She’ll need some time to recover before booking the flight.”

“True,” Callie chuckled as she texted the picture and flight preference information to Aria.

“That reminds me, when we get to Addison’s I need to call my brother and tell him we are headed home. I mean, I don’t know how the other me ended it with him, but I should at least acknowledge that I’m no longer in San Diego, don’t you think?”

“Yes, you should.”

“And I need to get a new phone.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Maybe we can take the kids? Go to the mall and make a day of it?”

“Yeah, uh… sure.” Callie hesitated.

Arizona snuck a quick glance at Callie, “You don’t sound so sure.”

“What?”

“You just… you hesitated,” Arizona said. “Every time I mention being with your kids…”

“No, Arizona it’s not that… it’s just… It’s the mall. The mall with my kids.”

“Oh, they don’t like the mall?”

“No, they love it, for about twenty minutes, then it’s all whining and begging and I’m not sure it’s the right situation in which to endear yourselves to each other. I want you to like them, and them to like you. I don’t think the mall is conducive to that.”

“Right, okay… I see,” Arizona replied. She really wanted to get the meeting of the kids over with so it could stop weighing on her mind. “How about, I go get my new phone, while you pick them up from Owen and we meet at SerenDRIPity? Then we can take a walk… maybe go to the park?”

“That sounds just about perfect.”

***

Almost two and a half hours later the two tired women pulled up to the Malibu beach house that Addison had been renting for the duration of her maternity leave.

The tired but still gorgeous redhead greeted them at the door. She was holding her tiny infant in her arms.

“Ladies, welcome to my temporary home.” She stepped away from the door allowing the two women entrance.

“Addison, this place is gorgeous,” Callie said looking around the well designed and decorated beach house. Her eyes finally landed on the squirming baby in Addison’s arms. “Oh my god! Would you look at him? Arizona, look.” Callie snatched the baby from his mother’s hold; she cooed and fawned over the infant, causing Arizona’s heart to clench with an unfamiliar sensation. A different kind of desire than she’d ever felt before.

“He’s adorable Addison, what’s his name?” Arizona forced herself to ask.

“Callie Torres? You haven’t told your girlfriend my baby’s name?”

“To be fair, we haven’t really talked about you much,” Callie shrugged. “Or at all.”

“Ah, too busy doing lesbian things together to talk about your poor best friend?”

“There is nothing poor about you, Addison, and you know it.”

“You should talk, friend. Your trust fund is almost as big as mine.”

Callie shot a glance in Arizona’s direction. She’d not actually gotten around to discussing the extent of her financial holdings with the other woman, and after their earlier discussion, she didn’t want Arizona to think she was hiding something from her.

Callie quickly changed the subject. “Arizona, I would like for you to meet Benjamin Jacob Forbes Montgomery—I assume you are dropping the Shepherd?”

“Like a hot potato. A dreary, grumpy, stupid, formerly-hot potato.”

“No offense, Addy, but I’ve actually seen him smile once or twice since you left,” Callie said. She inhaled the baby smell, then kissed the soft baby hair on the top of little Ben’s head.

“Wow,” Addison looked over at Arizona who was staring intently at Callie with the baby in her arms. “Robbins? Are you going to let your woman talk to me like that? In my own home, no less?”

Arizona shook herself out of the Callie-holding-a-baby trance that she seemed to be in and said, “Callie, be nice. We need Addison’s help, remember?”

“Oh, I see. That’s how it’s going to be?” Addison laughed. “You only need me for my board connections? Well, I have good news, then, regarding your little problem. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem anymore.”

“Oh, yeah?” Callie finally looked up from the baby.

“Yes, you don’t have to worry about Lauren Boswell getting the job, because I’m going to.”

“You’re going to what?”

“Get the job. I’m going to be the next Chief of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital.”

***


	24. Chapter 24

***

_“Yes, you don’t have to worry about Lauren Boswell getting the job, because I’m going to.”_

_“You’re going to what?”_

_“Get the job. I’m going to be the next Chief of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital.”_

***

“Get out!” Callie said.

“You are the new Chief?” Arizona’s eyes went wide.

“Well… it’s not a done deal or anything. I plan to interview for it, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t hire me. I’d be a fantastic choice. My name, my connections… my brilliance. They’d be fools not to.”

Callie and Arizona looked at each other stunned.

“Wow, Addy, that’d be fantastic!” Callie finally found some words.

“It would, wouldn’t it?” Addison agreed.

“What about your baby daddy,” Callie asked, “what’s-his-name?”

“Jake, his name is Jake. And what about him? If he wants to follow me and Benny, he can follow us, if not… we can make it work. It’s not like him and I are together. We aren’t together.” Addison didn’t sound as convinced as she trying to project. “Besides, it’s the next logical step in my career. I’m double board certified, at the top of my field, already head of my department at the hospital… I’ve done all I can at my current level, I _need_ to move up. Chief of surgery, _Ellis Grey’s_ replacement. It’s an opportunity I can’t pass up.”

“Those are some awfully big shoes to fill, Addison,” Arizona said. “Are you sure you want to tackle all of that being a new mother?”

“It will be an adjustment, sure, but I’m more than capable,” Addison replied.

“I’m not trying to say you aren’t capable, of course you are,” Arizona quickly backpedaled. “You’ll be great.” She smiled.

“Yeah, Addison,” Callie replied. “You’ll definitely be great.”

“Right? Maybe I could rethink the decision to bring in that new head of cardio for you? I’m sure there’s a thirty day termination clause in her contract.”

“Oh, ha… no,” Callie quickly replied. “I mean, sure I’d like to be department head someday, but right now… with the divorce, single mom stuff, and…,” Callie reached over and grabbed Arizona’s hand, “Arizona and I are new. I want to enjoy that. Being department head just isn’t the right choice for me. Not right now.”

“Fine,” Addison said. “It’s your career. If you want to choose love. Choose love. What do I care?”

Arizona smiled at Callie, and squeezed her hand back, but behind her smile, her mind was working. She was starting to realize her investment in something bigger than herself. Did choosing to be in love with Callie, be part of Callie’s family, mean that she had to sacrifice in other areas of her life? Would she have to give up career aspirations? Was she ready to do that? Unlike Lauren, who made her feel small, Callie made her feel like nothing was out of her reach. Callie inspired her, made her want to do more, be more. But is that what Callie wanted? Did Callie expect her to sacrifice her dreams and trade them for shared dreams?

“Hey,” Callie whispered in Arizona’s ear, bringing the blonde out of her spiraling thoughts. “Are you okay?”

Arizona shook off the lingering misgivings, “I’m fine. Just hungry.”

“Oh, yeah,” Callie agreed. “Addison we need some lunch, what can you fix us?”

“I can whip up some take-out menus.”

“Perfect,” Callie laughed.

***

They spent the afternoon having lunch with Addison and cooing over baby Benny. It was a nice, fun, relaxing afternoon for the two women. Arizona became especially smitten with the infant, his dark hair and eyes reminded her of Callie and she found herself thinking of another dark-haired infant—one she’d met only in her dreams.

Thoughts of career and family had plagued her mind for part of the afternoon, but every time Callie laughed at something Addison said, or smiled in her direction, Arizona’s uncertainties waned. Callie made her happy and she made Callie happy. That’s all she needed to think about right now.

***

As the afternoon bled into evening their time with Addison came to an end. A text from Callie’s sister Aria, directing them to Oxnard Airport in Ventura County, California, had them needing to leave Addison’s earlier than expected.

“Why aren’t we going to LAX?” Arizona asked again once they were on their way. “It’s closer than Oxnard.”

“She didn’t say,” Callie replied. Though she had he suspicions as to why, she didn’t want to elaborate further until she was sure.

“I didn’t even know Oxnard had an airport,” Arizona fidgeted in the passenger seat of the small rental car. She didn’t like not knowing what was going on, or not having her phone to Google Oxnard airport. “It’s not some second rate airline is it? Because we can afford to fly from a legitimate airport, Callie.”

“I’m sure it’s not second rate,” Callie responded. “My sister doesn’t do second rate.”

“Well then I don’t understand the choice of airport,” Arizona complained.

“Will you just relax, please? It sounds like she has planned us a nice surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises, Callie, they give me hives.”

Callie chuckled.

“Don’t laugh,” Arizona huffed. “When your girlfriend is all splotchy and red and itching and you have to rub anti-itch cream all over me, we’ll see how much you like surprises then.”

“Okay, okay,” Callie relented. “My father’s company has a private jet that flies out of Oxnard when in the area. I assume it’s here and my sister has procured it for our use.”

“You own a private jet?”

“No, my father’s company owns a private jet. We wouldn’t get to use it if it didn’t already have business on the west coast. As much as it pains my sister to admit this, it’s not our plaything. But it is nice when it’s available.”

“Hmm,” Arizona pursed her lips. “So you’re rich? Like, not just working surgeon rich, but rich, rich?”

“Yes, Arizona, I am.” Callie changed lanes and accelerated around a particularly slow moving minivan. “Is that a problem?”

“What? No, of course not,” Arizona scoffed. “How rich are we talking?”

Callie glanced over at Arizona, her eyebrow raised.

“I’m sorry,” Arizona cringed. “That was rude. Asking about money is… rude. It’s… it’s not my business.”

“Of course it is,” Callie quickly replied. “I just don’t have exact numbers for you. When my mother died, she was a very, very rich woman. She left everything to my sister and me. Fifty-fifty. We are both financially secure.”

“She didn’t leave it to your dad?”

“Daddy has his own money,” Callie answered.

“Wow,” Arizona bit her lip.

“Yep,” Callie nodded. “Wow… is a word. But what are you thinking?”

“One time, I received a donation for the hospital from a patient’s parents, it was for twenty-five million dollars,” Arizona said. “Could…”

“No,” Callie cut Arizona off before she could ask. “I couldn’t make a twenty-five million dollar donation. I don’t have _that_ much, and what I do have is mostly tied up in trusts and offshore accounts and tax shelters. Plus, I have some trust funds set up for the kids.”

“So, your house? That’s yours, not yours and Owen’s?”

“Oh, yeah. The house was a gift from my father, but he must have sensed something wasn’t right in my marriage, because it was gifted solely in my name.”

“Smart man,” Arizona grinned.

“That he is,” Callie agreed.

“You don’t act like it,” Arizona said. At Callie’s questioning glance, she clarified, “I mean, you don’t flaunt your wealth. I had no idea. I mean, everyone knows Addison is rich, but not you. Besides, I heard you used to live in the hospital basement.”

“Oh, the basement rumor. Yeah, that didn’t happen.”

“Really?”

“The Callie Torres lives in the basement rumor got started when Richard Webber caught me down there dancing in my underwear.”

“You told me about that.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t actually _living_ in the basement. I just used it as my own personal locker room sometimes. And I slept there on occasion... but, I always had an apartment.” Callie eased them back into the cruising lane. “The truth is, Arizona, I was never big on flaunting my money. My wardrobe certainly doesn’t suffer, and uh… I never fly coach. Other than that, you’re right, I don’t really do much with it.”

“That hotel we stayed at in San Diego was pretty nice.”

“Oh, yeah. Add luxury hotels to the list of perks my money buys. When I was younger I didn’t care where I slept, but now comfy beds and fluffy robes are another one of my downfalls.”

“I can live with that,” Arizona winked.

“With a rich girlfriend?”

“With a girlfriend who likes comfy beds and fluffy robes.”

***

Callie pulled up to the rental car return at the Oxnard airport. After checking in, they were quickly shuffled off to their waiting plane.

Their copilot introduced himself and informed them that it would just be him and the captain, they’d have no attendant on the plane, for the purpose of privacy. Aria Torres had been adamant about that fact. Once they were in the air, the two pilots would remain in the cockpit, and they would have complete privacy for the duration of the flight.

Arizona had been on private jets before, as a matter of fact, she was on one just this week. But those charter jets that the hospital contracted were small, simple, and functional. Made for business trips with little luxury added on. But this plane, this was all luxury. At the front of the plane, two sets of four seats made of soft Italian leather, two each side-by-side, faced each other. In the back of the plane were two more seats with a table in between on one side, and a long sofa lined the other side. At the rear of the plane was a kitchenette and a full functioning bathroom. Television screens were placed strategically for optimal viewing from any seat.

Sitting on the table, with some fresh flowers, was a bottle of champagne and a note from Aria. While Arizona chose one of the seats up front, so she could sit side-by-side with Callie, the brunette secured the champagne for take-off and climbing to altitude.

Callie returned to the seat next to Arizona and opened the note from her sister. As she read the words written on the page a blush formed on her cheeks.

“What?” Arizona asked.

Callie just looked back at Arizona and raised a sculpted eyebrow.

“What did it say?” Arizona asked again.

Callie handed the note to the other woman, who eyes moved back and forth as she read it. Her forehead crinkled in confusion. “She thinks I’m hot? Wait… what club does she want us to… oh. OH! Wow.” Arizona’s eyes met Callie’s “Your sister is really naughty.”

“She is,” Callie agreed.

“Also, very, very smart.”

“Full of ideas, that one,” Callie said. “Very naughty ideas.”

“Ideas that you are interested in?” Arizona asked nonchalantly. She picked at a piece of lint on her blouse.

“Ideas I’m very interested in.”

“Good, good,” Arizona replied, their eyes once again locking.

Callie took a moment and buckled up, “Take-off first. Then we can… earn our membership cards.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes while the plane taxied down the runway. They took-off in short order, and as the plane made its way to cruising altitude the two women held hands.

“I’m surprised you aren’t already a member,” Arizona said. She was trying to distract herself from the feeling of dread she always got as airplanes rose through the troposphere and into the stratosphere.

“Why would you think that?”

“Um, access to this private jet? And I _know_ you like sex. I’m sure you liked it before me, too. So just, you know… a little conjecture.”

Callie laughed, “You know what they say about assumptions, Arizona.”

“It wasn’t an assumption, it was just an observation,” Arizona replied.

“An observation based on an assumption,” Callie countered.

“Are you trying to call me an ass, Calliope?”

“I’m trying to tell you that you are wrong. I’ve never joined the mile high club,” Callie laughed. “And if you keep making assumptions about me maybe you won’t get to either.”

“Now _you_ are making assumptions. Who said _I_ wasn’t already a member?”

“What?”

“I’m a very hot woman, Calliope.”

“Yes you are,” Callie agreed.

“Who’s the ass now?”

“Hmm,” Callie hummed. She unbuckled her seat belt and reached across Arizona’s lap to unbuckle hers.

“What are you doing? The pilot didn’t say we could…” Before she could finish her sentence the intercom crackled.

“We’ve reached our cruising altitude, Dr. Torres. You two are free to move about the cabin. Enjoy your flight.”

“How did you know?”

“I felt the plane level off,” Callie went and grabbed the bottle of champagne and held it up for the other woman. “You want?”

“Absolutely,” Arizona licked her lips in anticipation, but not for the bubbly.

Callie opened the bottle—bubbles cascading from the top—and poured them each a flute. She went to grab a napkin to wipe the excess champagne from her fingers, when Arizona stopped her.

“Allow me,” the blonde purred. She brought Callie’s hand up to her mouth and gently placed her lips on Callie’s fingers. Callie’s eyes closed in anticipation. Arizona’s tongue peeked out and tasted the remnants of the sweet sparkling wine. “Mmm,” she moaned. “It tastes really good.”

Callie took a sip from her glass and said, “I bet it’ll taste even better on my lips.”

Arizona wasted no time in finding out.

***

The two women lounged side-by-side, covered in nothing but a soft blanket, on the large sofa that lined the right side of the plane. They’d finished the champagne and earned their entry into the elite mile high club.

Callie ran her fingers up and down Arizona’s arm as they laid there, “Arizona?”

“Hmm?”

“Uh… were you?”

“Was I what?”

“Already in the club…?” Callie asked, tentatively.

Arizona leaned up so she could look Callie in the eye, “No. I was teasing you.”

“Good,” Callie tucked a stray hair behind the other woman’s ear. “I’m glad it’s something we experienced together.”

“Me too,” Arizona smiled. “There won’t be many opportunities for first-and-onlys like this for us, will there?”

“We’re two experienced women, but we’ll have plenty of firsts. I promise.”

“Everything we do will be first for me, because I love you, so much,” Arizona whispered. “I’ve never experienced that before. I mean… I thought I had, but it was nothing like this.”

“You know I feel the same way, right? That just because I…,” Callie closed her eyes and took a breath. She didn’t want to mention her marriage or past with other people when she was tangled naked with Arizona. “I’ve never felt like this before either. What we have is special.”

“We’re each other’s destiny,” Arizona teased.

“Exactly,” Callie lightly pinched Arizona’s side, sending the other woman into a fit of laughter. “Our destiny is not a joking matter, Arizona.”

“I know, I know,” Arizona flipped them over so she was on top and she kissed Callie tenderly. She pulled back and rubbed their noses together, “I love you. I love telling you, ‘I love you’,” she placed her hand on Callie’s chest, “I love the way your heart beats faster when I tell you, ‘I love you.’ I can’t wait to experience our journey together.”

“Me either,” Callie replied. “Because our life together is going to be _amazing_.”


	25. Chapter 25

The two women had arrived safe and sound, after a glorious flight home—on a private jet—the previous evening. A flight spent sipping champagne, wrapped in each other’s arms, and joining the mile high club. Following the scare during her previous flight, Arizona figured she would have been nervous, but she hadn’t had time to fear anything, not with the attention that Callie had showered on her during that flight.

They’d reluctantly separated late this morning, so that Arizona could go get a new phone, and Callie could go pick up the children from Owen’s mom. Arizona hadn’t heard a word from Callie since they went their separate ways almost three hours ago. She was getting a little impatient.

She paced back and forth in front of SerenDRIPidy, checking the time every few minutes. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was to actually meet Callie’s children. She kept telling herself not to put so much pressure on this meeting, but it wasn’t in her nature to not think about all of the possibilities. What if they hated her? What if they _didn’t_ hate her, what if they actually liked her? Most of her life she hadn’t given children much thought. Now, Callie and her children, consumed her thoughts. They were all she could think about. She checked the time again—Callie was now officially late. Arizona’s mind went into overdrive again. What if something had happened… what if there was an accident… what if the kids didn’t want to meet her… what if…. She steadied herself on the chalkboard sign that sat outside of the café.

“Arizona?” Callie, with the children in tow, walked up from behind the blonde and startled her. “Are you okay?”

Arizona breathed a sigh of relief, “I’m fine… you were late and I was worried.”

“It’s three minutes after….” Callie chuckled. “That’s not late, is it?” She looked down at her children for confirmation. Angus and Gavin were in their stroller, and Allie was hiding behind her leg.

“I dunno, Mommy,” the boy on the left said.

“We can’t tell time, we’re just little,” the boy on the right said.

“Allie can’t tell time either,” said the one on the left again.

“And she’s a big girl,” said the other.

Arizona couldn’t tell them apart, she had no idea who said what. She just smiled at the two sweet towheaded boys, who looked at her with carbon copies of their mother’s big brown eyes.

Callie pulled Allegra from behind her leg so she could formally introduce them to the other woman, “Kids, this is my friend I was telling you about. This is Dr. Robbins, but you guys can call her Arizona. Can you say ‘hi’ to Arizona?”

The boys said hello, but Allegra just gave a tiny wave. Apparently she was feeling shy around the blonde. Arizona knelt down to Allegra’s level, and said, “I like your unicorn shirt.”

“Thank you,” Allegra shyly replied.

“My shirt has dinos.”

“I like dinosaurs too, uh…,” Arizona looked up to Callie for help.

“Gavin,” Callie supplied with a smile, her heart beating in anticipation.

“Dinosaurs are awesome, Gavin,” Arizona said.

“Superman,” Gus yelled, and pointed to his shirt.

“Superman is awesome, too,” Arizona smiled.

“Up, up, ‘n away,” Gus yelled. “Save the day,” Gavin added, clapping his tiny hands with excitement.

“Yes, yes,” Callie laughed. “Superman saves the day. How about we save our day and go ahead and walk to the park?”

“Yay!” the boys yelled.

“Allegra?” Arizona asked. “Would you hold my hand? I don’t know the way to the park, I don’t want to get lost."

The shy little girl shook her head no, and grabbed her mother’s hand, much to Arizona’s disappointment.

“I’m sorry, Arizona,” Callie replied. “She’s being extra shy this afternoon.”

“That’s okay,” Arizona assured the little girl. “You hold your mommy’s hand. I’ll just…” She stood up, and stepped in front of the stroller that held the twins, kicked out the wheel on her Heelys, and glided off down the sidewalk.

“Wow, Mommy! Look,” Allegra shouted. She pulled at Callie’s hand to follow.

“Up, up, ‘n away!” “Save the day!” The boys added with giggles.

***

After breaking the ice with her Heelys, the kids quickly warmed up to the exuberant blonde.

Arizona pushed Allegra on the swing as the young girl told her all about her favorite video game.

“But why are the birds so angry, Allegra?” Arizona asked the miniature Callie.

“Because the pigs steal their eggs, silly.”

“Oh,” Arizona winked at Callie who gaze was on them for a moment. “Well I guess that would make me angry, too.” She admired Callie’s ability to keep her eyes on the boys and her and Allegra at the same time. It was a skill she wasn’t sure she could master.

“I wanna jump!” Allegra suddenly shouted, causing Callie to jump up from her spot on the bench. “Fly like the birds and get the little piggies, Gavin and Gussy.”

“Oh! No, no, no,” Arizona desperately tried to slow down the swing. “No jumping! You aren’t an Angry Bird, Little Miss, no need to go flying.”

Seeing that Arizona had the situation under control and wasn’t going to let her daughter go flying off of the swing, Callie sat back on the bench to watch.

Gus heard the commotion and came running over. He grabbed Arizona around the leg. “I wanna fly! Up, up ‘n away.”

The swing sufficiently slowed, Arizona bent down and picked the little boy up and swung him around in a circle before bringing him into her body for a hug. He cackled with delight.

“Me too, me too,” Gavin tugged at her pant leg. “Me fly too!”

“Okay, buddy, let’s go,” she placed Gus on the ground and moved herself a safe distance from him so as not to bump him when she helped Gavin fly.

When she put the second boy down, she found herself surrounded. Three sets of brown eyes looking up at her, smiles on all of their faces. She glanced up and over at Callie who still was sitting on the park bench, eyes glistening with joy.

She squatted down to the kids’ level and said, “Let’s all go give mommy a hug. She looks lonely over there all by herself.” They all turned to look at Callie who had taken the moment to wipe her happy tears, and was now smiling back at them. They looked back at Arizona who just nodded her head, and they took off running.

Allegra got there first, jumping on the bench beside her mom and wrapping her arms around her. Gus arrived next, climbing into his mother’s lap. Which left the stragglers, Arizona and Gavin bringing up the rear. Gus moved over by his sister, so that Gavin could climb into Callie’s lap and get his hug.

“Now you, Arizona,” Allegra said.

Gus pointed at Arizona, then Callie, “You hug, too.”

Arizona sat down on the bench on the other side of Callie from the kids and put her arms around the woman as best she could with all the three kids blocking her access.  She leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on Callie’s cheek, much to the kids’ delight. Gavin moved himself from his mother’s lap to Arizona’s and Gus climbed back onto Callie’s. They sat that way in comfortable silence for a few minutes until someone’s tummy rumbled.

“I think it’s time we got some dinner,” Callie said.

“Oh, yay! What do you say guys?” Arizona asked.

“What are we hungry for?” Callie asked.

“Pizza!” They all yelled, including the dimpled blonde.

Callie mocked sighed at the request, “I guess we are going to Anthony’s.”

***

After a rowdy dinner at the kids’ favorite pizza place, Anthony’s, in which Callie had to tell the _four_ to calm down, several times, they were back at Callie’s house. The kids were bathed and already tucked in for the night, and Arizona had thoughts of joining them. She was exhausted.

She flopped down on the sofa, “How do you do it, Callie?”

Callie chuckled, “They aren’t always that rambunctious. _You_ got them all worked up. BoGo usually entertain each other, and Allie is normally pretty reserved. She likes to read, and play her games.”

“Do you think they liked me?”

Callie joined the other woman on the couch, “They really liked you, Arizona.” She took Arizona’s hand in her own and kissed her knuckles. “You were perfect today.”

Arizona pulled Callie in close, their noses almost touching. “You are always perfect,” she said. Her eyes fluttered shut and she leaned in for a kiss. Callie pulled her in tighter and deepened the kiss, her hand gently rounded Arizona’s neck and tangled in her straight, silky blonde hair. They kissed like that for several minutes. Soft and sweet, not taking it too far. When they pulled apart and opened their eyes they noticed they weren’t alone anymore. Gus was standing there watching them, holding on tight to his little blanket, pacifier in his mouth.

Arizona’s eyes went wide with panic at being caught, but Callie simply smiled.

“Hey, sweetie. What’s wrong? Couldn’t sleep?” Callie asked.

Angus shook his head ‘no’, then pulled the pacifier out of his mouth and said, “Up, pease?” he quickly placed the pacifier back in his mouth. Callie reached down and picked him up, and he immediately climbed from her lap onto Arizona’s. He laid his small head on her chest, his eyes instantly going closed. Arizona’s eyes met Callie’s and a lump formed in her throat. Arizona gently kissed his blond hair, and held him tight.

Callie whispered, “I think somebody is already smitten with you. I knew they would love you. Just like I do.”

Arizona could only nod, her heart was beating too hard to form words, a whole different kind of panic set in.

***

Arizona didn’t stay that night with Callie, though the brunette told her it was okay, the kids would be fine if she was there in the morning, but she thought a little distance after just meeting them would be better. She wasn’t quite ready to jump into role of stepmom, not that that’s what Callie asked her to do. She had a moment of panic when Gus fell asleep on her, but she couldn’t quite identify the source of her panic. She was the one that pushed to meet the kids, and it went fantastically well. Almost _too_ well. Whatever it was that she was feeling, she needed to sort it quickly, she didn’t want any kind of mixed feelings when it came to Callie’s children. That wouldn’t be fair to anyone.

The two women hadn’t seen each other at all today. They had decided to come separately to Ellis Grey’s memorial—they weren’t exactly hiding their relationship from coworkers, but their boss’s memorial was definitely not the proper place to advertise their newfound couple status.

Arizona stood by the entrance, people were streaming in, some in groups, some singly.  She was getting a bit impatient waiting on the other woman. Callie was a little bit more cavalier about timeliness than Arizona was. She looked down at her phone to see if she had missed a text.

“Arizona?” came a tentative voice.

“Sam,” Arizona looked up from her phone.

“Are you okay? You haven’t been to work since….”

“Our plane almost crashed and you kissed me?”

“Yeah, uh… about that. I’m _really_ sorry.”

“I know you are,” Arizona said honestly, and she believed it. “I’m sorry too. But, uh… I don’t… I don’t know if we can be friends anymore.”

The other woman nodded, “Why?”

“I think you know why.”

“Are you and Callie… together? Officially.”

“What Callie and I are is between Callie and me. That has nothing to do with you.”

“I know, I just… I understand. If I had known you and Callie were serious… I would have respected…”

“What? I told you last week that I was serious about Callie. Plus, me telling you _pointblank_ that I wasn’t interested in you wasn’t enough?”

“No it was, I swear I just thought….”

“You thought you could change my mind?”

“Maybe?”

“You didn’t respect _my_ boundaries, Sam. That’s why we can’t be friends.”

Samantha frowned, “So that’s it then.”

“Looks that way.”

“Fine,” Samantha said. She stomped off to find a seat before the memorial started.

Arizona shook her head and sighed.

“What’s up with her?” Addison said as she walked up to the frustrated blonde.

“Addison!” Arizona smiled. “It’s good to see you again. How was your flight?”

“It was fine,” the redhead sighed. “Not as good as yours, I would imagine.”

Arizona blushed, “What? Uh… what is that supposed to mean? Did Callie say something to you?”

“No, I just meant that we were flying with a newborn,” Addison replied. “Was Callie supposed to tell me something?”

“What was I supposed to tell you?” Callie arrived just in time to catch the end of the conversation.

“Something about your flight up here,” Addison replied. “Care to share?”

Callie looked at Arizona and grinned, “Really?”

“No, Callie,” Arizona pleaded. “I just… It was a misunderstanding. No need to share.”

“Okay, now I really need to know,” Addison replied.

“What do you need to know?” Mark Sloan asked as he joined the others.

“Nothing!” Callie and Arizona both yelled, causing a few murmurs to go through the growing crowd.

“Geez, sorry I asked,” Mark cringed. “I just wanted to come over and stand with the hottest women in the room and have some nice conversation.”

“It’s a funeral, Sloan,” Arizona replied. “Keep it in your pants.”

“Memorial,” Callie corrected. “I don’t do funerals.”

“And I don’t do dudes,” Arizona countered. “So either way Sloan needs to keep it in his pants.”

“Wow,” Mark shook his head. “I was just saying hello, I don’t know why you all are so grumpy. I’m going over to talk to the grieving family, hopefully I’ll get a warmer reception.”

Addison chuckled, “You guys handled him like… like you’ve known him for years.”

“Well, I feel like he’s been irritating me for years,” Arizona replied.

“Is Dr. Wylie irritating you too?” Addison asked. “Mark’s not the first person to walk away from you in a huff tonight.”

“You were talking to Sam?” Callie asked, irritation now tinging her voice.

“Yes, I was… she just…,” Arizona noticed the look on Callie face had changed. She was definitely irritated, hef jaw was clenched and she was looking away, breathing heavily out of her nose. “Wait, Callie… are you jealous?”

Callie set her jaw, not wanting to admit to jealousy.

“I’ve given you no reason to be jealous,” Arizona started.

“Well, you’re jealous of Mark Sloan for something that happened in another…,” Callie stopped herself before saying ‘universe’.

Addison’s eyebrows shot up and she looked back and forth between the two women, “Wait… Callie, what happened between you and Mark Sloan?”

“Nothing,” both Callie and Arizona shouted again, this time causing several people in the room to clear their throats.

“Oh, wow, trouble in paradise?” Addison whispered.

“No, there’s no trouble,” Callie said. “I just don’t like that Samantha Wylie. End of story. Where is your baby daddy, anyway?”

“I thought I asked you to stop calling him that?”

“I will, when I can remember his name,” Callie answered honestly. Her eyes suddenly went wide with shock, “Hey,” she pointed toward the entrance, “Isn’t that…?”

The other two women turned to look in the direction that Callie had pointed.

“Preston Burke,” Addison answered. “And Erica Hahn will be sure to follow.”

“What are they doing here?” Arizona asked. “The interviews don’t start until Thursday.”

“You are obviously not up on the art of schmoozing,” Addison replied. “Any candidate for the job worth their salt will be here at the memorial. The board is here, it’s the perfect opportunity to gain an advantage. It’s why I left _Jake_ ,” she looked pointedly at Callie, “and the baby at the hotel. So I could concentrate on sucking up.”

“Oh god,” Arizona swallowed hard. “That means…. Oh god, Callie… I’m not ready.”

The jealousy and irritation of a few moments ago was quickly forgotten, and Callie went into support mode.

“What do you need from me?”

Arizona swallowed and looked around, “Stay by my side?”

“Always.”

“We should go speak to the Webbers, then find our seats,” Addison said. “We don’t want to be milling about when the service starts.”

***

The Webbers stood to the side of a giant portrait of Ellis Grey receiving condolences from guests. Richard was stoic, dressed in a dark suit, a daughter on each side. Meredith looked shell-shocked and angry, there was a darkness behind her eyes. The younger Webber, Maggie, who rebelled against her parents chosen profession and was doing a pathology residency—instead of surgery—at Boston Memorial, was present and appeared wracked with guilt.

While Addison spoke to Richard and Maggie, Callie and Arizona had moved on to give Meredith their condolences.

“Webber,” Callie started. “I mean… Meredith, I’m so sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do?”

Meredith shifted back and forth, she glanced over at her stepfather and sister, then seemed to come to a decision. “Uh… yeah, there is actually.”

“Name it,” Callie said.

“Me too,” Arizona added. “Whatever you need.”

“My, uh… sister died,” Meredith whispered.

“What?” Callie looked toward Richard and Maggie.

“Not that one,” Meredith shook her head. “I uh… just found out about her. She was… my dad, he…,” she took a deep breath to compose herself. “She was alone…. And a junkie. She overdosed the morning my mother died. Both my mother and my newfound sister died while I was in Boise,” she sniffed, then anger creeps back into her voice, “But… uh, she doesn’t get to have a big memorial like this. Because she was a junkie and nobody cares about junkies. There’s no one but me to mourn her. I just… would you come to Joe’s later? Have a toast with me? I just… need some people to recognize that Lexie Grey existed. Please.”

Callie’s eyes went wide at the name. Genie was right. Death _did_ hold a grudge. Alexandra Grey was meant to die in both universes. Callie’s mind immediately went to Arizona and her fate, thankfully Genie had assured her that there would be no serious repercussions, as she wasn’t fated to die, but she wondered if anyone else would have died as result of that crash… she glanced at Mark Sloan and a lump formed in her throat. The other Arizona had mentioned his injuries were grave, his condition dire… that he likely wouldn’t have survived much longer. Was he next? Would death come for him too? Callie was staggered by the thought.

“We’ll be there,” Arizona answered for them both as Callie showed no sign of responding. “You can count on us.”

“Thank you,” Meredith exhaled. “It means a lot to me.”

***

Arizona and Callie found a seat near the middle of the room. They had a good vantage point of the podium where friends and family would speak from, and more importantly, Arizona could keep her eyes on the door. Callie had gone quiet after speaking with Meredith, but wouldn’t elaborate as to why. She just kept saying, ‘We’ll talk about it later.’ Arizona was worried, but Callie assured her she was fine, just thinking. ‘Overthinking,’ she’d said. Arizona let it drop, because frankly she had other things on her mind.

 _Lauren Boswell._ So far, she hadn’t shown up at the memorial, but the rest of the candidates had. Arizona looked them over and sent up a silent prayer that Addison got the position. Burke was too arrogant, he thought way too much of himself, Arizona didn’t want to deal with that. Erica Hahn was too much of a stickler for rules and regulations, which was normally something she would respect in a person, but Arizona had learned over the years that there were always exceptions to rules. They needed a chief with flexibility. Mark Sloan? Just the thought of him being her boss made her shudder in her seat, though she honestly had no specific reason to feel that way. She made a mental note to ask Callie about their interactions in the other universe, she had a feeling they were more extensive there, than here, and that was likely the cause of her involuntary dislike of the man she barely knew.

Arizona sighed. Callie was still distracted by her thoughts, her brows were furrowed and stared off into the distance. Arizona followed Callie’s gaze and it led her straight to Mark Sloan. Arizona sighed again.

“I think he’s going to die,” Callie whispered.

“What?” Arizona’s head shot around to face the other woman. Callie’s face had softened and now she just looked sad. “Who?”

“Mark,” Callie said. “He’s going to die, Arizona, and there is nothing we can do about it.”

“Callie… what…,” Arizona started, but Callie jumped up and ran for the restroom, tears in her eyes.

Arizona stood up and made to follow, but was stopped in her tracks by a voice that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck prickle.

“Hello, stranger, is this seat taken?”


	26. Chapter 26

_“Mark,” Callie said. “He’s going to die, Arizona, and there is nothing we can do about it.”_

_“Callie… what…,” Arizona started, but Callie jumped up and ran for the restroom, tears in her eyes._

_Arizona stood up and made to follow, but was stopped in her tracks by a voice that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck prickle._

_“Hello, stranger, is this seat taken?”_

***

Arizona turned in her spot finding exactly who she anticipated to be standing there. Lauren Boswell. Arizona had expected to feel many emotions upon their reunion: hate, fear, shame… hurt, but right now she felt only one thing. Indifference. And that made her smile, “huh.” She chuckled.

Misinterpreting Arizona’s smile, Lauren smiled back, “I’m so glad you are happy to see me, I was worried you’d hold a grudge over that silly little...”

Which caused Arizona to burst into laughter, once again drawing eyes from the solemn crowd. She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

“Arizona?” Lauren asked. “Are you okay? Are you… laughing at me?”

Which prompted an even harder laugh from the blonde.

“I don’t understand what’s happening here,” Lauren asked, her expression changing from flirty to angry. “What is so funny?”

“Oh, god,” Arizona finally got a hold of her laughter. “I was so… _worried_ about seeing you, but…,” she chuckled again, “but, honestly, you’re… you’re _nothing_.” She took a deep calming breath. “What a relief.”

Lauren was left speechless, her expression one of surprise. She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it again when nothing came to mind.

“Look, Lauren, I would love to stay and hear what rationalizations for stealing my grant you’ve come up with, but I have something _infinitely_ more important to take care of,” Arizona pointed over her shoulder. “In the bathroom. So….” She turned and walked away, not once looking back.

***

In the restroom, Callie was standing at the mirror, wiping at her tears. A woman came out of the stall and washed her hands at the sink next the sniffling brunette.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” the woman said. She handed Callie a tissue out of her purse.

“Oh, I’m not…,” Callie started, but then realized it was probably rude to cry over someone other than the actual dead person whose memorial she was attending. “I mean thank you.” She accepted the tissue and blotted under her eyes, trying not to smear the mascara further.

“Were you very close?”

“We uh… she was my…,” Callie blew out a breath. “I’m a surgeon at Seattle Grace, she was my boss.”

“Seems like the only people here either worked with her or are professional rivals,” The woman commented.

“Ellis wasn’t warm,” Callie replied, “but she did know how to run a hospital.”

“That she did,” the woman agreed, “that she definitely did. Well, I’ll let you…,” she pointed to Callie’s smeared mascara.

Callie just nodded and turned to mirror to wipe her eyes. She heard the door open and then close as the woman left the room.

“Hey.”

Callie glanced into the mirror and saw that Arizona had entered as the other woman exited and spoken. “Hey,” Callie replied, she resumed wiping under her eyes.

 _Ortho, right?_ “Oh, whoa…” Arizona stopped walking toward Callie and swayed a bit.

Callie turned from the mirror and steadied the other woman. “Are you okay?”

“You know… I’m… fine. Fine. I just… uh…,” Arizona shook her head, shrugging off the familiar, yet unfamiliar, sensation. “Déjà vu or something. I came to see if _you_ were okay?”

Callie sighed, “I’m fine, Arizona. It’s Mark Sloan I’m worried about. I know he bothers you, but… I can’t help it. I feel… sad.”

Arizona sighed, “Okay. Just tell me what I can do? What can _we_ do?”

“I don’t think there is anything we can do,” Callie replied. “Genie said altering that other universe changed some stuff, but ultimately, everyone’s destiny is still the same. And… and I know that the destinies there and the destinies here aren’t always the same, but you, other you, said that Lexie died in the crash… and now we found out that she died here too? On the exact same day, that doesn’t sound like a coincidence… that sounds like it was predetermined.”

“So… I said, other me, said that Mark died too?”

“No, he hadn’t… not yet, but she said that he was in really bad shape and she didn’t think he’d last the night.”

“And what exactly did Genie say?”

“That the Lexie of that universe was a sure goner; that she’d already died as a result of the plane crash and… and… death was a greedy bastard.”

“And she was sure _I_ lived? Should I be worried?”

“No, no… no. Genie said it wasn’t your destiny to die in that plane crash.”

“And these destinies… they are always the same? Like if… Mark did die over there, are you sure it will happen here?”

“No, no the destines aren’t necessarily tied. Your brother…”

“What? Callie, what about my brother?”

“The reason she… Arizona, was so adamant about seeing your brother was because he’s dead in her universe. She hasn’t had him for years. I’m sorry, I know that’s hard to hear.”

“No… I don’t… I don’t know what to think about all this, Callie. Tim is dead there?”

“Yes, but not here. _Your_ brother is fine. But this is different. I feel it. Mark’s fate is sealed. I… just… I just _know_.”

“I don’t understand this connection you have to him. You just met!”

“He’s the father of our child, Arizona… _over there_. Apparently, he’s my best friend and baby daddy.”

“Oh, wow,” Arizona moved to the sink and stood beside Callie. “Like donor daddy or…?”

“I don’t think it was a donor situation, I think it was more of a boner situation. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, huh,” her brow furrowed. “No wonder I have the urge to punch his face all the time. Wait… why are you apologizing to me for something another you did in another universe? It’s not like you… wait? Did _you_?”

“What? No! Of course not. I barely know him,” Callie bristled at what felt like an accusation. “Stop jumping to _that_ every time I mention his name.”

“I’m sorry,” Arizona said sincerely.

Callie sighed and pulled her into a hug, “I know you are.”

“I think I’m experiencing some of her feelings… Maybe some lingering stuff from the other me? She did use my brain for a day. She probably left some baggage rolling around in there. Were they close, or….”

Callie smiled, “I know she desperately didn’t want him to die. I assume they made their peace with the situation.”

“Which was what exactly? What was the situation?”

“Um, what I remember from my crossover is limited… you, uh, other you won the Carter Madison grant and left other me to go to Africa. We broke up and I drowned myself in alcohol and… Mark Sloan. You, uh… you missed me so much you came home, but I was already… I was pregnant. We ended up doing a modern family type thing. Two moms and a dad. Our daughter’s name is Sofia.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Sofia,” Arizona tried the name. It felt familiar. _The baby she dreams about._ “She looks like you, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, more so than Allegra and the boys.”

Arizona felt a sudden profound loss. It hadn’t been her and Callie’s future she was dreaming about, it was the other Arizona’s reality. She bit her lip and looked to the floor trying to hide her sudden overwhelming sadness.

“Hey, are you okay?” Callie gently lifted the other woman’s face. She misinterpreted Arizona’s sadness at the loss of her potential child as something different. As unhappiness over Callie having yet another child with someone.  “You know I would never. Not with Mark, not with anyone.”

“I know, I know,” Arizona sighed. How could she tell Callie that she feeling loss for a child she’d never met? She needed a diversion, to distract Callie from this line of thinking, so she could work out what she was feeling.  Just for now, until she knew herself what she going on in her brain, then she could discuss it with Callie. “Lauren’s out there. She spoke to me.”

“What? What did she say?” Callie asked, suddenly protective. “What did you say?”

“I laughed at her,” Arizona admitted with a slight smile. “I couldn’t stop laughing at her.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I just… I built her up as this big scary thing that was going to come back and ruin me, but guess what?  I saw her and I felt… free. I have you and nothing she could say or do at this point will change that.”

“You’re damn right,” Callie agreed.

“Why was I so worried? Why did I let her affect my life so much after she left? Why did I hold on to that? I look at her now, and I can’t believe how stupid I was.”

“Hey, she made you feel powerless, but now you are strong,” Callie smiled. She stared into Arizona’s eyes, trying to reassure her. “You can see through her.”

The door squeaked as it opened behind them, Addison’s head poked into the small room. “Hey, it’s about to start. Come on, Mark saved us some seats.”

“We’ll be right there,” Callie replied, her eyes never leaving the blue ones in front of her. Addison retreated leaving them alone once again.

“I love you, Calliope,” Arizona whispered. “I… I love you. I’m never going to get tired of saying that.”

“I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”

“Good, then we are a perfect match.”

“The yin to my yang.”

**

Most of the hospital crowd that had attended the memorial for Ellis had made the move to Joe’s for drinks. Sitting at different tables, that had been pulled together to accommodate their numbers, were several odd mixes of people. 

Addison and Mark had joined the table containing all of the candidates for new chief of surgery; Preston, Erica, Lauren, and one other man no one recognized sat together drinking scotch. Which made Arizona laugh, because she knew Lauren hated scotch. The conversations looked fake and tense. Tense enough to make everyone sitting at the mourning table to actually be glad they weren’t sitting at the schmoozing table.

Callie, Arizona, Owen, Cristina, Meredith, Derek all sat together and all tried not to give away their various relationships. Owen knew about Callie and Arizona, and Callie and Arizona knew about Owen and Cristina, and Cristina knew about Meredith and Derek and even though everyone else suspected these relationships were happening very few people knew anything for sure. Even April who interrupted Callie and Arizona’s date, likely didn’t remember much because she was decidedly not sober. And even if she did remember, she hadn’t mentioned it. She was currently in a booth with Jackson whispering quietly, and Alex sat alone at the bar nursing a beer.

Callie’s eyes wandered the table thinking about the fact that they were all couples, who’d all been with different people just a few months ago. She also noticed that even though they were there to mourn Meredith’s sister, every one of them looked happier than she remembered ever seeing them. Finding the person you were made for did wonders for the complexion, she chuckled.

“What’s funny?” Cristina asked.

“Us,” Callie gestured around the table.

Owen looked confused, as he often did, which made Callie laugh harder. “Callie… what?” He asked.

“Look at us,” she replied. “All of us. Hiding the fact that we are all couples.” Meredith looked at Derek, Cristina at Owen, and Arizona hadn’t taken her eyes off of Callie all night. “Why are we all hiding our happiness? I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s too precious, too hard to come by, life changes in an instant… I’m not missing a minute of it,” She scooted her chair closer to Arizona’s and pulled the woman into a kiss, more than chaste, but not heated. Just enough to let everyone in the bar know they were together.

“Mmm,” Arizona pulled back and licked her lips. “I’m all for celebrating life and love tonight.”

“Ew,” Cristina initially said, but after a moment’s thought, she shrugged. “What the hell, I’m in.” She held up her drink and said. “To life.”

Derek held up his and looked at Meredith, then everyone else, “To love.”

Meredith joined in, “To Lexie.”

**

Conversations splintered as the bar filled and the groups mingled more. Callie and Arizona were with Owen and Cristina throwing darts.

“Shouldn’t this be awkward?” Cristina asked.

“Did you miss my ‘life is too short for awkward’ speech, Yang?” Callie said.

“Whatever, when I become a fellow, you won’t be my boss anymore.”

“I was never your boss and you know it,” Callie added. “I’ll still be your superior, though. I’ll always be that.” Callie laughed.

“I wonder what kind of fist Altman rules with,” Cristina asked, she looked at Callie. “Yours was pretty mushy.” Callie just made a face in return.

“Oh, Teddy! Where is she? We should invite her over…,” Arizona looked around.

“She’s at the bar, getting hit on by Mark Sloan, she could probably use a break,” Callie said.

“Invite her over,” Cristina said. “I need to suck up.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea…,” Owen said.

“Aw, Owen, what? You don’t want your ex-wife, your girlfriend, and the woman you emotionally cheated with via Skype through most of our reconciliation to all be at the same table?”

“Wait… what?” Cristina asked. “You and Altman?” Cristina looked at everyone with surprise. She grabbed Owen’s arm, “Did she come here for you?”

Owen’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed, “I’m not sure.”

“Seems likely to me,” Arizona interjected. “She hears you are divorcing….” She leads.

Callie picked up her train of thought, “And she uproots her life, leaves the Army, moves to Seattle only to find you already with a new person,” Callie added.

“Crap,” Cristina said. “Now I’m going to have to double suck up. Beguile her with my brilliance.”

**

Arizona had successfully avoided Lauren most of the night, but now she was cornered by the bar and Callie was nowhere in sight.

“Arizona, you need to talk to me,” Lauren said.

“I disagree.”

“I’m going to be your boss very soon, I think it would be in your best interest to talk to me now,” Lauren said. Her face serious, almost angry.

And it happened again. Arizona laughed. Now that she wasn’t at a memorial and had a few drinks in her, she let it go.  She laughed so hard she snorted.

“Oh god,” Arizona grabbed her sides from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry, Lauren, but what makes you think you are getting that job? There are many _way_ more qualified candidates. Hell, Mark Sloan is more qualified than you, and he does boob jobs.”

“But none of them are a Carter Madison winner.”

“And neither are you,” Arizona shot back. Her smile suddenly gone. “That was my proposal and you know it.”

“Prove it,” Lauren replied.

“You think I can’t?”

“I think you won’t, for the same reason you didn’t submit the proposal in the first place, because you are a coward. And now you are ashamed. You’ll look like a jealous fool.”

Arizona just stared back at Lauren, her face unreadable.

“Go ahead,” Lauren said. “Laugh at that.” She turned and walked away.

Arizona just stood there, stunned. She’d let that bitch get to her. _Dammit_.

“She’s a nasty one.”

Arizona turned and saw an older woman at the bar watching her, she looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen her before.

“She is,” Arizona agreed. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

“I’m not,” the woman smiled. She pointed toward the dart boards and said, “I think your girlfriend is looking for you.”

Arizona saw Callie’s eyes roaming the bar, when they finally fell on her, the weight of her conversation with Lauren lifted once again. Callie’s eyes lit up and she made her way through the crowd.

“Hey, I missed you. What happened?”

“Lauren,” Arizona grumbled.

“Hello,” the older woman at the bar said. “Are you feeling better?”

Callie recognized her as the woman who had consoled her in the bathroom at the memorial.  “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

“No, thank you, both of you.”

“For what?” Arizona looked at Callie confused.

“For being exceptional surgeons at Seattle Grace Hospital.”

“Oh, okay… well, um you’re welcome,” Callie replied.

**

Callie and Arizona were in a cab, heading back to Callie’s house for the night. Arizona had become quiet, pensive.

“Are you okay?” Callie asked.

“I’m fine, now that I’m with you,” Arizona replied sincerely. “Lauren just… she knows what buttons to push.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to defend you.”

“I’m glad you weren’t,” the tired blonde admitted. Callie looked hurt, but Arizona quickly added. “I don’t want any parts of her _infecting_ you. She’s not a nice person, Callie, I don’t want her anywhere near you.”

“I wanted to defend you, tell her to ‘kiss off’ or something,” Callie smiled in the dark cab.

“I don’t want to be a damsel in distress. If you had come to defend me, it would have proven her point. Proven I was a coward and needed help.”

“She called you a coward? That bitch.”

“Oh yeah, even that woman at the bar thought so. Who was she? I recognize her from somewhere.”

“I’m not sure, but she was at the memorial. We were in the restroom at the same time. Maybe a friend of Ellis’.”

“Maybe.”

**

Finally tucked into the bed for the night, after sharing a kiss goodnight. They were both tired, and just wanted to hold each other while they slept. It was Arizona’s turn to be the big spoon, and she held Callie tight.

“What are we going to do,” Arizona whispered.

“About what?” Callie turned to ask.

“Everything,” Arizona replied, they were now face-to-face, her favorite way to share her thought with the other woman. “Lauren. Mark… is he going to die? Is the grim reaper following him around?”

“I don’t know, Arizona, I don’t know.”

“Should you talk to Genie?”

“Maybe,” Callie sighed. “But maybe this is part of my punishment. Knowing something I shouldn’t know, feeling guilt for something that isn’t my fault. It’s my burden to bear.”

“I’ll be your share bear.”

“What?”

“I’ll carry that burden with you. I’ll be your share bear.”

“Like those stuffed toys from the 80s?”

“Exactly like those stuff toys from the 80s. I’m all purple and cuddly. And I’ll happily share your burden. So don’t ever keep something like that to yourself. I’m here. We’re in this together.”

“Together,” Callie sighed.

“And if Lauren gets the job?” Arizona rubbed her nose against Callie’s.

“She won’t,” Callie pecked her on the lips.

“But if she does?” Arizona pulled back and looked into Callie’s eyes.

“We’ll deal with it together.”

“Together.”

 


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been away from this for so long, it was really hard to get back into. No one feels in character to me, but I’m publishing anyway because if I don’t now... I never will.

After Ellis’ memorial, affairs at the hospital were hectic for the first few days. Owen had his hands full as interim chief. Between fielding questions from curious interns and residents, and rescheduling all the surgeries that had been cancelled the week before, he’d been mostly unavailable to the kids, which left them home with Callie all week. Arizona didn’t quite feel comfortable enough to sleep over with the kids there yet, but she was also growing increasingly uncomfortable sleeping alone. Three nights away from Callie, mixed with the stress of Lauren lurking somewhere in Seattle had Arizona cranky. 

On top of that, Callie had been following Mark Sloan around trying to convince him to get a full physical work up and lecturing him about wearing seat belts. Arizona understood her concern, but unlike Callie she accepted that if it were Mark’s destiny to die, there was nothing that could be done. Not that she wanted him to die, not at all, but things were out of her hands and she could compartmentalize in a way that it seemed Callie was unable to. 

Callie just couldn’t let it go, so Arizona let her do what was necessary to assuage her misplaced guilt. She understood Callie’s reasoning, and she supported her in her need to try, but the result was still them not seeing as much of each other as she would have liked. It had only been a few days, but she missed Callie.

***

Arizona had been held up in surgery, causing her to miss the first half of her lunch break. She hurried toward the cafeteria, not wanting to miss any more time than she had to with Callie, who, according to a text she’d received while in the OR, was already in the caf waiting for her to have lunch.

She got off of the elevator and made a beeline for the lunchroom, rounding the corner and running directly into an exiting Mark Sloan.

“Whah,” Arizona yelped. “Where’s the fire?”

“You need to get your woman under control.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I tried to order a bacon cheeseburger for lunch and she wouldn’t let me. Something about my cholesterol and being heart healthy. She made me get a salad and fruit.”

“She’s heart surgeon, Dr. Sloan,” Arizona defended Callie, “She knows what clogged arteries look like.”

“I’m as healthy as a horse,” he shot back. “She’s not my mother. She’s been bugging me since Ellis died and she’s starting to freak me out.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, she’s just looking out for you. Chief Grey’s death affected us all. Give her a little leeway, Mark. She’s just being a concerned friend, not acting like your mother.”

“She cut my apple into bite sized pieces so I wouldn’t choke, Robbins. Get her under control,” he shook his head and stormed off toward the elevator.

**

Arizona entered the cafeteria to find Callie at a table with the kids. Apparently, she’d sprung the kids from daycare for a rare lunch in the cafeteria. Ellis would have frowned upon it, but the cafeteria was a public place and without Ellis’ disapproving eye, it seemed Callie had taken advantage of the opportunity.

Allegra saw her first and waved to the blonde, who waved back. She pointed to the food line to indicate she’d get her lunch then join them.

Once at the table, she was happily received by three small tomato sauce covered faces and one smiling brunette. 

“Hey,” Callie greeted. “How was your surgery?”

“Took longer than I expected, but successful,” Arizona turned to the kids, “How are you guys? That spaghetti looks good. Is it yummy?”

Gus grabbed a handful and held it up for Arizona to try.

“No thank you, buddy,” Arizona smiled “You eat that, I’ve got a nice salad here.”

Gavin made a face at the thought of salad. He hated green food. Gus just shoved the handful of spaghetti he’d offered Arizona into his own mouth.

“When can we go to the park again, Arizona?” Allegra asked. “I want you to push me on the swing again.”

“Up, up, ‘n away,” Gus added.

“Maybe this weekend,” Arizona smiled, her eyes moved from Allegra and the boys to their mother, “if it’s okay with your mom.”

“Can we, mommy?” Allegra asked. “Please?”

The boys stopped eating to add in their “pleases” as well.

“Of course we can,” Callie smiled. “Like I’d say no to that!”

A chorus of ‘yays’ sounded, before Allegra decided to push for a little more, “Can Arizona have a sleepover?”

“Pwease,” the boys added, not really understanding why, just wanting to be part of what was going on.

“Well, that’s up to Arizona,” Callie smiled at the other woman. “What do you say, Dr. Robbins? Do you want to have a sleepover with us?”

There was no way in the world she was saying ‘no’ to all of those deep brown eyes staring back at her, but she pretended to think really hard. The kids all waited patiently, not so much as taking a bite of their food, before Arizona finally relented and said, “I’m in.”

Another round of ‘yays’ from Callie and the kids had Arizona’s smile so bright, Callie couldn’t help but lean over and steal a kiss. It was their first public kiss at the hospital _and_ in front of all the kids. Arizona held her breath for a moment, but the world kept spinning, the kids kept grinning, and no coworkers fainted in shock, so she pulled Callie back for one more quick peck.

Arizona took a bite of her salad and watched as Callie wiped fingers, and cut food for the kids. It all looked so effortless, Arizona couldn’t imagine herself being able to handle a family meal like this by herself anytime soon, but she realized she wasn’t afraid to try. Callie was an amazing mother. Arizona hoped to be half as good a mother someday and was surprised that the thought didn’t scare her.

“Gus, don’t put so much in your mouth, you’ll choke,” Callie gently warned the young boy.

“Speaking of choking,” Arizona interrupted. “I ran into Mark in the corridor.”

Callie’s head shot up, “Is he okay? He choked? You gave him the Heimlich, right?” 

“He’s fine,” Arizona assured the other woman. “He didn’t choke, but he mentioned you cutting his food up for him. He’s a little disturbed by it, Callie. You need to stop.”

“I can’t.”

“You do not have any control over his destiny. You can’t change it.”

“What’s destiny, Mommy?”

Callie just looked at Arizona, her guilt not allowing her to believe she couldn’t help the man.

“It means ‘what’s meant to happen’,” Arizona answered Allegra’s question, her eyes not leaving Callie’s. “Something that is already set— nothing, or no one, can stop it. It’s inevitable, unchangeable. Right, Calliope? Isn’t that what destiny means?”

“Mommy?”

Callie looked from Arizona to her expectant daughter, “Yeah, sweetie. That’s what it means.”

“Cool,” Allegra smiled. “Can I have my pudding now?”

“Are you finished your spaghetti?”

“Almost,” Allegra frowned, she knew where this was going.

“Then you can ‘almost’ have your dessert,” Callie admonished. “You know the rules.”

With Allegra distracted trying to finish the last of her lunch, Arizona reached over and gently touched Callie’s arm to get her attention.

“Are you okay,” she whispered.

Callie nodded in response.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but…”

“No, I get it.”

“Callie…”

“Arizona, it’s fine. I get it. I’m wasting my time.”

“I didn’t say that,” Arizona whispered firmly back. She took a deep breath, then softened her tone. “I promised you I wouldn’t let you bear this burden alone. Let me help you with this.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, we’ll think of something,” Arizona grasped Callie’s hand. “But, you can’t follow Mark around 24/7. There are other people that need you,” she tilted her head toward Callie’s three children. “And _me_ , I need you too. There is so much going on, I just… Please don’t become consumed with this.”

Callie’s brow furrowed as she thought about what Arizona said. Of course she knew, deep down, that if something happened to Mark it wasn’t her fault. But she also knew herself enough to know that if something did happen to Mark and she hadn’t at least tried to stop it, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. She also knew she couldn’t let Arizona face the potential of Lauren Boswell becoming her boss alone either. She felt pulled in so many directions, she wished she could be in two places at once. 

Arizona was looking at her with such love and earnestness. There was no way she would let Arizona down. That’s when she noticed a group of the new interns sitting on the other side of the lunchroom. An idea forming in her head she stood from her spot.

“Callie?”

Callie smiled down at Arizona, “I have an idea. Watch them a second?”

“Sure, I guess…”

Callie strode off to the intern table leaving Arizona alone with three kids eating spaghetti. Messy, messy spaghetti.

“Can I have my pudding now, Arizona?” Allegra tried, holding up her plate for Arizona to see. She was almost finished, but there was still some noodles and a meatball left.

“Your mother said you had to eat it all,” Arizona said. “You too, boys. Finish up, then you can have some pudding.”

“No,” Gavin shouted. He slammed his little hand down into his plate of food, causing spaghetti noodles and sauce to go flying.

“Gus, no, no, no,” Arizona jumped up and moved around to where the twins were sitting.

“That’s Gavin. He doesn’t like pudding. He likes applesauce for dessert.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, Gavin. I didn’t know,” Arizona said. “But you still shouldn’t smack your plate like that. Now your brother has a piece of spaghetti hanging off of his ear. People will think he’s growing tentacles.” 

Allegra giggled, “that’s silly. He’s not an octopus!”

“We’d have to start calling him Octo _Gus,”_ Arizona giggled with the little girl as she cleaned the mess off of Gus’ head. 

Callie returned to find them mid clean up, “Oh my goodness, guys! What happened?”

“Arizona tried to give Gavin pudding and he got mad and made an OctoGus,” Allegra tattled.

“It was all just a misunderstanding. Right Gav?”

He nodded his little head at his mother.

“See, Callie? We have everything under control. Gus doesn’t mind his new tentacles, do you buddy.”

Gus just smiled and shoved a whole meatball in his mouth, “Gus, no. I told you not too much at one time,” Callie panicked.

“Wait,” Arizona said. “Where did you get that meatball? Yours were cut up.”

Gus pointed to his sister, who had snuck the meatball on his plate while Arizona was cleaning the spaghetti off of his ear. Allegra had the good sense to look sheepish at her mother’s firm look.

They gave up on getting the kids to finish their lunch. They cleaned them up from their spaghetti mess and let them have their dessert. Two puddings and an applesauce.

Gus moved to Arizona’s lap to eat his pudding, and she couldn’t help but hold him tight.  She found her lips repeatedly making contact with the top of his blond head, leaving tiny kisses on his marinara laced hair. It was all very domestic and Arizona’s heart swelled with devotion.

Callie made eye contact with her and smiled, “You look gorgeous holding my child.”

Arizona just winked in return. She had a lump in her throat she had to clear before speaking. 

When she’d gotten herself composed from her moment of mushiness, she asked Callie what she’d been doing at the intern table. 

“Oh, well, I tasked the weird one to follow Mark around. Keep an eye on him, so I don’t have to. She’s to report back to me at the end of his shift.”

“Wow, delegating your destiny duties. You do think out of the box, Dr. Torres.”

“I’m still giving him a physical, though. Stress test, full body scan, the works…”

“I’ll help you. Set it up for Friday, tomorrow is going to be too hectic with the interviews…”

“Oh no…”

“What?”

“What if the stress of the board third degree tomorrow causes him to have a heart attack? Or… or they ask him a question so difficult to answer his brain breaks and he has an aneurysm?”

“Callie, don’t be ridiculous, hard interview questions don’t cause aneurysms. Besides, it’s been a week since the crash. Don’t you think if he were gonna… you know,” Arizona didn’t want to mention death in front of the kids, “he would have by now?”

“Yeah… yeah. I hadn’t thought of that. You, uh… _other_ _you,_ said he was in really bad shape. If he’s going to die… it will likely be soon.”

“See, get him through this next week, and you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“Oh, thank god.”

***

The following day, a small curious crowd had formed on the balcony overlooking the reception area where the candidates for chief currently awaited the arrival of the Seattle Grace Hospital Board of Directors.

“Addison looks good,” Arizona said. Addison looked stunning in her business suit, as she joked calmly with her friend and competition, Mark Sloan. “Relaxed. Ready.”

“Yeah,” Callie agreed. Her and Arizona stood side-by-side, leaning on the railing looking down at the others. “Mark doesn’t look too stressed does he?”

“No, he looks pretty composed, too.”

“Preston Burke is nervous,” Cristina came up beside them. “See that thing he’s doing with his hand?” she pointed to the otherwise relaxed man sitting away from all the others, opening and closing his left hand. “He does that when he’s nervous. Erica Hahn still looks like she has ice running through her veins, though.”

“I don’t think she’s even blinked since we’ve been here,” Arizona agreed.

“That bitch is hardcore,” Cristina said.

“She’s nice,” Callie assured the others. “When she warms up to you.”

Owen came through the door below, escorting Larry Jennings and several other board members to the conference room where the presentations and interviews would be taking place.

“Owen looks hot,” Cristina said. She turned to Callie, “I’m allowed to say that in front of you now, right? I’m not your student anymore and he’s not your husband.”

“I mean… it’s a little weird, but when have you worried about what other people thought, much less me?”

“True,” Cristina nodded. “I’m glad you dumped him. You two didn’t work. You are much nicer since you and Robbins started bumping…”

“Yang,” Callie warned. 

Arizona grinned, she didn’t mind being teased, especially if it was about how she made Callie happy. 

Meredith joined them at the balcony, “What are we doing?”

“Sizing up the prospective replacements for…” Callie trailed off, realizing they were talking about people who were here to replace Meredith’s dead mother.

“Oh, I see,” Meredith said. “New chief.”

“God, I hope Burke doesn’t get it,” Cristina made a face. “We didn’t end on the best of terms.”

“I hope Addison doesn’t get it,” Meredith added. Everyone looked at her with surprise, Addison seemed to be the leading candidate. “I’m sleeping with her husband. She must hate me.”

“Speaking of, why didn’t Derek throw his hat in the ring? He’s certainly qualified to be chief,” Callie asked.

“He said he’s not interested,” Meredith shrugged, “That he’s trying to remember what he loves about surgery. Trying to find himself or something.”

“Gross,” Cristina replied.

“The side of me that Ellis Grey raised wants to agree with you,” Meredith shrugged, “but the side of me that wants to be happy… just wants him to be happy. No matter what he’s doing.”

Cristina rolled her eyes, but Callie got it. Career was important, but family was more important.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Arizona squeezed Callie’s hand. “All of that responsibility would not be conducive to finding joy.”

“Plus, you guys are new,” Callie smiled at the soon to be general surgery attending, “you don’t want him consumed with work all the time. Getting drearier. You make him smile, Webber. That means something.”

“Who is that?” Cristina interrupted further talk of Derek’s formerly gloomy disposition. She was pointing toward the door, where Lauren Boswell had just entered and joined the other candidates. “I saw you talking to her the other night at the memorial, Robbins. And I’ve seen her out at Joe’s with Dr. Wylie once or twice this week.”

“Really?” Arizona looked concerned. “Lauren and Sam?”

“Who is she?” Meredith asked again.

“Lauren Boswell,” Callie added. “Arizona’s ex girlfriend, and a completely unqualified contender for chief.”

“Lauren and Sam?” Arizona repeated. Her expression unreadable.

“Yeah, that woman,” Cristina pointed, “has been having cuddly drinks with the ortho chick you used to hang out with before you upgraded to cardio.”  She tilted her head toward Callie.

“Hey, orthopedics is a very respectable specialty, but… _I’m_ definitely an upgrade,” Callie was equal parts offended for her alternate self’s surgical specialty and thrilled that Cristina thought she was an upgrade for Arizona.

“I can’t believe Sam would have drinks with her after…” Arizona was still stuck on the fact that Sam and Lauren were hanging out. 

“Are you jealous?” Cristina asked. 

“Of course she’s not,” Callie quickly stated with about fifty percent surety and fifty percent bravado. 

“That’s interesting,” Meredith said. 

“What’s interesting? Robbins being jealous?” Cristina asked.

“No,” Meredith shook her head. “Dr. Wylie’s grandmother is on the hospital board.”

“What?” Callie exclaimed. “She is?”

“No. No, she’s not…” Arizona suddenly caught up with the other’s conversation. “Sam would have mentioned that to me.”

“I’m sure she is,” Meredith insisted. “Remember that lawsuit involving Dr. Wylie last year? And how it quietly went away?” Everyone nodded as they recalled the events, “Ellis wanted to fire her, but the board wouldn’t let her. They settled quickly out of court, with non-disclosure agreements. My mother was really pissed and though she legally couldn’t say why… Sam’s grandmother was mentioned a lot in her rants. I know what I’m talking about, Arizona. Sam has pull.”

“Well, crap.”

***

After the reveal that Samantha Wylie’s grandmother was on the board, Arizona grabbed Callie by the hand and drug her to an on-call room so she could have a not so public freak-out. 

Callie sat silently on the bed, while Arizona paced nervously back and forth trying to get her raging emotions under control.

“What do I do, Callie?”

“I don’t…”

“I can’t have that woman be my boss. I… I won’t survive that. It’s too humiliating.”

“Arizona…”

“You have to tell me what to do! I don’t know what to do!”

Callie stood and grabbed the pacing woman by her shoulders and kissed her hard. Her hands slid up across Arizona’s shoulders and into her silky, straight hair. Arizona sighed into the kiss, her body immediately relaxing into Callie’s. 

Callie pulled away slightly, her hands gently cupping the other woman’s face. The kiss had the desired effect. Arizona’s panic assuaged somewhat, Callie pressed their foreheads together and whispered, “You are going to do what you need to do. You are going to do what’s best for you, and for everyone in this hospital. Because you are Arizona Robbins. You are a good man in a storm.”

“A good man in a storm,” Arizona sighed. She licked her lips,”you are right, Callie. I… know what I have to do. I’m going to talk to the board,” she nodded to assure herself, more so than Callie. “Do you think you can convince Owen to get me a few minutes with them?”

“Anything for you,” Callie kissed her again, because she couldn’t _not_. “I’ll even go in with you if you want.”

“No, no,” Arizona shook her head. “It will be humiliating enough. You just… wait outside the door for me. Help me walk away with dignity.”

“Arizona…”

“Callie, you know I’m going to cry and be embarrassed. I just need you to walk away with me, can you do that?”

“Of course I can, you go in there and tell them the truth about that… fraud. Reclaim what was yours. Then when we walk away? We'll walk tall, together.”

***


	28. Chapter 28

Arizona stood in front of the board and she thought she’d feel naked, vulnerable, and exposed, but she didn’t. She felt confident and free. She’d meticulously presented her case against Lauren Boswell. Her documentation was infallible. She knew she had this.

Arizona’s eyes roamed the group of people in front of her, some faces were familiar, but several she didn’t recognize. There were a lot more people on the hospital board than she’d anticipated. She’d thought maybe there’d be about ten, but there was at least double that, maybe more. 

Owen stood in the back corner and looked uncomfortable with the knowledge he’d just gained. He had the good sense to look supportive, but not overly engaged with what was happening.  When Arizona made eye contact with him, he managed to convey with just a look that what he’d heard in here would stay here. Arizona felt better knowing they’d both completely ignore her humiliation in the future. The fact that Callie’s ex wasn’t big on communication was definitely a plus in this situation. Arizona was fairly confident he’d keep her secret outside of this room.

Most of the other board members, the ones she could directly see, looked convinced. Except maybe the woman Arizona had determined was Sam’s grandmother. She looked… pissed. 

Arizona swallowed hard and waited for someone to speak.

“Well,” Larry Jennings looked around at his fellow board members, “that, um… is a pretty serious accusation, Dr. Robbins.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Why did you wait so long to bring this up?” The man sitting next to Jennings, whose name Arizona didn’t know, asked.

“I just wanted to put it all behind me. Forget it ever happened.”

“And you are brining it up now, because…?”

“I can’t, in good faith, allow someone with so few professional ethics to be the Chief of Surgery at this great institution. It would be a disgrace to the hospital and to Ellis Grey’s memory.” Arizona tried to lay it on thick. She didn’t want the board to think she was doing this just to spite her ex, or because she didn’t want to work under her ex, even though those were some of the driving reasons behind her need to come clean.

Sam’s grandmother could hold it in no longer, “And you expect us to just believe you?”

“No,” Arizona calmly stated. “I expect you to believe the evidence I presented.”

The pinch-faced woman waved her hand at the idea of the ‘evidence’, “She should be in here to defend herself.”

“Bring her in,” Arizona stated faux confidently. Her heart beat in her chest at the idea of being in the room at the same time as Lauren Boswell, but she’d come this far, and she knew Callie was waiting outside for her. She could do it. 

***

Callie sat on one the chairs lining the wall outside the board room. Twenty minutes earlier, Arizona had entered that room to face the board alone. Callie had desperately wanted to go with her girlfriend and hold her hand while she went through this difficult task, but it was something that Arizona would have to endure alone. She could only be there for the aftermath. And she was determined to do just that, but the waiting was killing her.

The waiting area was empty, as all the interviewees had been sent to another conference room where a buffet lunch had been set up for them and the board. Callie couldn't imagine going through that. The idea of everyone who was up for the same job being forced to mingle, eat and maintain their professional demeanor sounded like torture.

For a brief second Callie hoped Mark was chewing his food properly, but put that thought aside as the door to the board room rattled before opening.

Callie stood from her spot expecting to see Arizona step out, but it was just Owen. She visibly deflated when he shut the door behind him. 

“What is going on?” she asked. “Where is Arizona?”

“They want to see Boswell,” Owen replied. “Arizona is fine. It was tough, but she handled it well.”

“Did they believe her?”

“She presented a well evidenced case, Callie, I can’t imagine they wouldn’t.”

“Then why do they need to see that bitch?”

“I guess they want to hear her side of the story,” Owen shrugged. 

“There is no other ‘side of the story’, she stole Arizona’s Carter Madison.”

“Then there shouldn’t be a problem,” Owen said. He pointed over his should toward the boardroom, “I have to go, they are all waiting.”

“Oh, right, right. Sorry, go,” Callie said stepping aside so he could pass. She quickly added, “I still can’t believe you are in there for that.”

“Me either,” Owen agreed. “I feel like Jennings’ errand boy. And I know Robbins must feel…”

“Don’t you worry about her,” Callie assured. “I’ll take care of her. It’s best if you just…”

“Never bring it up?”

“Yes, unless she does,” Callie said. “Our situation is awkward enough with us all working together. No need to add in that bit of personal indignity. Not that she should be ashamed, she did nothing wrong, but… she’s a very private person.”

“I get it, Cal. I won’t say anything,” he interrupted. “I promise.” With that, he left to fetch Lauren.

Callie sat back in her chair and fought the urge to gnaw on her finely manicured fingernails. 

***

Back in the conference room, the board members continued to question Arizona. The most insistent questioner was, as expected, Sam's grandmother.

“Dr. Robbins, just what do you hope for us to do for you here?” The older woman asked. “We have no purview over the Carter Madison Foundation, so if your expectation is to get reinstated as…”

“I’m sorry, Mrs…?” Arizona lead, hoping to get the other woman’s name, so she could know for sure if she was indeed dealing with the grandmother of her former friend. “I feel like I should know how to address you.” 

“I don’t see how knowing my name is in anyway important to the matter at hand.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but to _me,_ it does matter. My father and brother are both Marines, and I was raised to address people with respect. If you are going to continue to directly question me, I need to be able to respond to you with as much respect as you’ve shown me.” 

“Her name is Nanette Lupton-Wylie,” Larry Jennings answered for the woman, “and her question is a valid one. What exactly are your expectations?”

The older woman smiled smugly at Jennings’ boost, but Arizona didn’t let it shake her. 

“Honestly, I have no expectations other than to impart the truth about what sort of person you are considering for the most prestigious position at this hospital. Nothing more than that. I know I’m not getting that award back. I would never ask such a thing. That’s why I never went to the Carter Madison Foundation with this information.” The door swung open behind her, but Arizona was too engrossed in her conversation to notice. “Dr. Boswell is a competent doctor. Her patient care is exceptional, and…” Arizona’s words faltered as she noticed the woman in question beside her smiling as if Arizona were singing her praises.

“And? Please continue, Dr. Robbins,” Lauren said, thinking Arizona had finally come around and was giving her a glowing recommendation. She thought Owen had retrieved to so she could given an offer. She even gloated a little as she left the banquet room.

Arizona fumed at the smug look on the other woman’s face, but she continued her though, unchanged by the other woman’s presence. 

“ _And_ she would never do anything to hurt the children under her care,” Arizona paused allowing the others to absorb her words before continuing. “However, honesty, respect, and integrity are just as important as patient care. This hospital thrives on research and reputation. Donations and grants keep this place at the top of the rankings. Can you honestly say after knowing what you know about her stealing that grant, that you can trust any research she puts out there? Can you trust this institution’s…”

“Excuse me?!” Lauren interrupted before Arizona could further damage her reputation in the eyes of the Seattle Grace hospital board. “What lies are you telling these people? Honesty, Arizona, I knew you took our break-up hard, but this is beyond sad.” 

Arizona expected her to deny it, but she hadn’t expected Lauren to immediately jump to the scorned lover defense. She hadn’t mentioned the nature of their relationship in a bid to avoid that bit of ugliness, she may have miscalculated by leaving that out.

“You two were in a relationship?” Nanette, asked with feigned surprise. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Arizona’s eyes narrowed at the woman. Obviously Sam had given her grandmother a heads up as to the nature of Arizona’s former involvement with their apparent chosen candidate. “I didn’t think it was relevant.”

“How is the fact that a woman who… how do I put this delicately… dumped you, how is that not relevant when you are accusing her of ‘stealing’ your work?”

“Um, I’m sorry,” Arizona countered. “Who said she dumped me?”

“Well… I….”

“She stole my work: my blood, sweat, and tears went into that proposal and she stole it. _I dumped her._ But relationship issues aside, the evidence is clear.”

Larry Jennings finally spoke up, “She does present a pretty solid case against you, Dr. Boswell.”

“What… what evidence do you have? I have a right to see it.”

“Actually,” a woman, who’d thus far remained silent, spoke up from the back of the room. She’d been going through the piles of papers that Arizona had presented, during the wait for Lauren. When she stood Arizona immediately recognized her as the woman from Ellis’ memorial service, and then Joe’s afterward. “This isn’t a court of law and you have no such rights.”

“But she accused me of…”

“Rightly so, by what I’ve been reading.” The woman held up a stack of papers, they looked old and rather worn. “A hand-written outline of the original idea. Written while Dr. Robbins was still in medical school is evidence enough for me.”

“I… we… she may have had the original idea,” Lauren stuttered, trying to defend herself, “but I perfected it and and took it to the next level. She wasn’t even going to submit it!” 

“This looks pretty close in design and content as the submitted proposal. Plus, I haven’t even begun to look at the electronic evidence she has provided,” the woman continued unswayed. “I can’t imagine I’ll find anything to bring me back to your side.”

“Who are you?” Lauren asked.

Arizona was wondering that herself. She’d never seen the woman around the hospital before the memorial, so she was pretty sure she wasn’t on the hospital board. 

“Marybeth Madison.”

“As in…” Arizona was too stunned to continue. 

“Carter Madison’s widow, and the former chairman of the foundation.”

***

“What is taking so long?”

Owen sat adjacent to his soon to be ex-wife, just outside the board room. He’d chosen not to return with Lauren, but Callie had looked like she was going to crawl out of her skin waiting, so he sat beside her to off some silent support. He knew he should be jealous that she’d been able to move on from him so quickly, but he couldn’t be angry that she found someone with whom she could truly be herself. Other than the birth of their children, he’d never seen the woman so… radiant. Arizona had brought back everything that attracted him to Callie in the first place, the light their troubled marriage had taken from Callie, the perky blonde had reignited.

“Everything is going to be fine, Callie.”

“How do you know?” 

“Because good things happen to good people.”

Callie scoffed, “You don’t really believe that do you? You of all people? We’re good people, Owen. You are good. What good has happened to us the last few years?”

“You are right,” Owen smiled gently. “We’ve had our share of struggles, but look at you now. You are happy and healthy. Your life is on the upswing, Callie and I couldn’t be happier for you. That’s how I know things are going to go well in there, because you and Robbins deserve it. The universe owes you.”

“You have no idea,” Callie said under her breath, then aloud, “You are right, I’m going to trust the universe right now. There is no way Arizona comes out of that room with bad news.”

***

Owen had gone to the coffee cart to get Callie a drink. He’d momentarily questioned the wisdom of getting coffee when she was already so high strung, but she’d glared hard enough for him to take-off for her requested beverage without further debate.

As soon as he was gone, the door to the board room opened and a very angry Lauren Boswell came storming out. Callie tried to get a glance into the room, to see Arizona, but the door was quickly shut in her face.

“Rude,” she sat back in her spot to wait some more.

Callie didn’t have to wait long, as the doors opened and the various board members filed out one-by-one and made their way down the corridor, presumably toward the waiting buffet and chief candidates in the banquet room. The last to exit, besides Arizona, was the woman she met at Ellis’ memorial service. 

Callie was surprised to see her here, but in her haste to see if Arizona was okay, she didn’t question her presence for more than a moment.

“Arizona?” Callie asked. She couldn’t read the expression on the other woman’s face. “Are you okay?”

Arizona nodded, unable to find words at the moment. She looked shocked, 

“What happened?”

“They dismissed her from the running. She won’t be the next chief.”

“Oh, thank god,” Callie breathed. “You looked like you had bad news for second. But you did it. You accomplished what you set out for.”

“With your help. You make me brave, Calliope, I couldn’t have done this if you hadn’t been standing outside that door. But there’s more…”

“More?”

“That lady from the other night? That was Marybeth Madison.”

“Okay? And she is?”

“From the Carter Madison Foundation. They are offering to make things right, Callie.”

“Arizona that’s wonderful!”

“It is, isn’t it?” She nodded halfheartedly.

“Yes, it’s amazing,” she took the shocked blonde into her arms, but Arizona didn’t return the hug. “Why am I getting the impression you aren’t happy about this?” Callie pulled back and lifted Arizona’s chin so they were eye-to-eye. “Just tell me.”

“They want me to go to Africa.”


	29. Chapter 29

_“They want me to go to Africa.”_

***

“They want me to be the new managing director of the clinic,” Arizona explained. “Apparently, they’ve suspected Lauren wasn’t what she’d proclaimed to be for a while now. The uh, lady from Ellis’ memorial... do you remember her?”

Callie just nodded, still in a bit of shock. She folded her arms in a protective manner, as if to shield herself from Arizona’s words.

“She’s um, Marybeth Madison, her husband was…”

“Carter Madison, yeah I get it,” Callie said, her remark curt as she tried to stifle the various emotions she was currently feeling. 

Arizona’s brows knitted at Callie’s tone, but she continued, “They want to make things right. Well, as right as they can under the circumstances.”

“How long?” Callie abruptly asked.

“I don’t know,” Arizona simply replied.

“Are you…,” Callie swallowed. Her heart seemed to be climbing up into her throat and she couldn’t form a coherent sentence. “You going?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Callie just managed to keep the tears at bay. After a moment she forced herself to say, “I… uh, I have surgery in a few and I wanted to stop by the daycare and see Allie and BoGo, so um… I’ll uh… I’ll talk to you later. You can… let me know what you decide.”

“Callie…,” Arizona understood the other woman’s need to escape. They both needed to think about this, and Arizona wanted to consider her words carefully before speaking more. She didn’t want Callie jumping to any wrong conclusions. Plus, she still needed to talk to Marybeth Madison and find out just what being the managing director entailed.  

“Arizona, it’s okay, I just… I need to go right now.”

Arizona nodded, and Callie turned and bolted down the corridor. She would let Callie run for now, but she knew the decision ahead was one that they would both need to take part in. She couldn’t decide this on her own. She was already in way too deep. Callie’s opinion _mattered_. 

***

Callie had been avoiding Arizona for most of the day. It was wrong and she knew it, but she also couldn’t help herself. Her first instinct was to beg Arizona to stay, and she realized she couldn’t do that. It wasn’t fair to the other woman. Arizona earned that directorship. That clinic was her brainchild and deserved the chance to make it everything she’d dreamed it would be. Callie would just hold her back and she really didn’t want to do that. She had to get herself to a place where she could talk to Arizona without resorting to throwing herself at the other woman’s feet and begging her to stay. She just… wasn’t quite there yet.

Immediately after learning the news that morning, Callie had sought solace in her children, then the quiet sanctuary of surgery. She knew letting Arizona go was the right thing to do, but the hospital wasn’t the place to have that conversation. 

She was trying to sneak out before Arizona finished up her surgery in an effort to postpone the conversation as long as she could, but the kids were not cooperating. Allegra was dragging her feet, and Gavin wouldn’t stay in the stroller. He’d figured out how to unbuckle himself the day before, and now he kept putting his new found skill to use and attempting escape. 

Callie finally got them settled and moving at a decent pace through the lobby when Allegra spotted her new favorite person heading their way.

“Dr. Arizona!” she dropped her backpack on the floor and ran toward the normally cheery, but currently subdued blonde. Arizona knelt down just in time to catch the girl in a giant hug. Callie, resigned to the fact that there was no escape, bent down to pick up Allie’s bag from the floor. Gavin, not one to waste his mother’s moment of distraction, climbed out of the stroller and joined his sister in a group hug with his sister and Arizona. 

Poor Gus hadn’t figured out how to unbuckle himself, so he was trapped in the stroller. “Nona, help!” he yelled as he struggled with his tiny hands to release the small latch. Arizona immediately came to his rescue. “Up,” he held his arms up for Arizona to lift him out of the stroller. 

Arizona paused for a moment and looked to Callie for permission. 

Callie nodded, “Of course.” Her smile came involuntarily. She didn’t think she’d ever not smile when Arizona was with her kids. “Wait, what did he call you? Gussy, who’s got you?”

From his place on Arizona’s hip, he gently touched her face and said, “Nona’s got me.”

“He can’t say Arizona, Mommy,” Allegra accused. “It sounds weird.”

“That’s okay, Gus,” Arizona said, her smile wider than it’d been all day. “I like how you say it.” She kissed him on the cheek, causing him to suddenly become shy and hide his face in Arizona’s neck.

Arizona’s gaze fell on Callie, who was still having trouble looking at her. Her eyes remained locked on her son in Arizona’s arms. 

When she finally gave in and made eye contact with Arizona, the blonde smiled and said “Hi.”

“Hi,” Callie returned.

“Are um… are we going to talk about this?” Arizona asked after a few moments of silence.

“Do we have to?” Callie tried.

“We do.”

“Arizona!” Allegra was trying to get the woman’s attention, but she only had eyes for the girl’s mother at the moment. The little one resorted to pulling on the pant leg of Arizona’s suit. “Are you coming for dinner tonight? Can we get pizza?”

Arizona finally looked down at the expectant face, “I don’t know sweetheart, that’s up to your mother.”

“Can she come over, Mommy?”

“Of course she can,” Callie looked at Arizona, “We have lots of stuff to talk about tonight, I guess?”

“We do,” Arizona agreed, then she looked conspiratorially at Allegra, “But pizza first!”

“Yay!”

Owen, who’d just exited the elevator, made his way toward the happy group, carrying a giggling Gavin in his arms. “Uh, Callie? Are you missing something?”

“Daddy!” Allegra shouted.

“Oh my god, Gavin!” Callie took him from Owen. “You snuck off?” she asked. Gavin nodded, not a bit contrite. 

“Not really,” Owen admitted. “He saw me get off the elevator while you all were talking. He just came over. It’s not a big deal,” he directed at the two women, then more sternly at his oldest twin, “but don’t run off from your mother like that.”

“Okay,” Gavin agreed, still not looking sorry for what he’d done.

“You aren’t headed out for the night, are you?” Callie asked, she noticed he was still wearing his lab coat.

“No, I’m here for the duration. I was just trying to catch you to say goodbye to the munchkins before you left. The board is coming back after dinner to go over a few last minute details, so I have to stay. They should have a final decision by tomorrow. Um,” he looked to Arizona, “by the way, Boswell is no longer in the running. Which I’m sure you must have already figured out, but it’s official now.”

“Thank you, Owen.”

“Who are they leaning toward, do you have any idea?”

“I do, but I shouldn’t say.”

“Owen,” Callie lifted a stern eyebrow. “Come on”

He looked around the lobby to make sure they were relatively alone. He leaned in close so he could whisper. “They’ve narrowed it down to two. They’re leaning toward Addison, but… they are worried that she still has two months on her maternity leave. She’s insistent on staying at home with the baby until she is absolutely ready. She wouldn’t waver.”

“Wow, go Addison,” Arizona cheered. “I hope she stands her ground.”

“Honestly, that could negatively impact her chances…,” Owen started, only to be interrupted by his ex.

“Um, excuse me? That would be bordering on a violation of the Family Medical Leave Act, and I don’t think Addison Forbes Montgomery will take that without a fight.” Callie had to struggle with Ellis about maternity leave with the twins, she was familiar with the intricacies of the the law. “Though, I guess the hospital does have a little wiggle room with that, considering Addison is wanting to change positions. Ugh. That sucks,” Callie really wanted her friend to get the job, especially if Arizona was leaving.

“Who’s the other candidate?” Arizona asked. Angus’ head was still snuggled contentedly on her shoulder, his tiny fingers playing softly with the neckline of her expensive silk shirt.

“Mark Sloan.”

“Oh,” Arizona’s nose crinkled with mild disapproval. 

“Oh, no,” Callie quickly said. “That’s way too much stress. His heart can’t handle it.”

“Dr. Sloan has heart trouble?” Owen asked, his face scrunched with obvious confusion. “He didn’t disclose any health issues on his application. Callie, is this something I shouldn’t know? Are you violating his privacy by telling me this?”

“What? No, no… I just,” she looked to Arizona for help, who just shrugged, “I uh, worry about him, because… I had a dream. Yeah, a dream… that he died. Just like Ellis. Died. Dead.”

“Oh, well he looks perfectly healthy to me,” Owen looked between the two women who seemed to be having a silent conversation.

Arizona looked exasperated at Callie, who stared back with steely determination. Owen had no idea what was going on.

Callie broke off her stare down with Arizona and turned back to her ex-husband, “Ellis looked healthy, too. Stuff happens, Owen. People die. Life… changes in an instant. One minute I’m married to you and miserable, no offense, and then the next, I’ve met the most amazing woman in the world, and I’m in love.”

“I guess you do… have a point,” Owen started again, but Callie kept talking.

“And then…” Callie’s eyes were locked with Arizona’s, “then that amazing woman gets and amazing once-in-a-lifetime offer that will take her halfway across the world and it changes everything.” 

“Callie…” 

“Uh, I think…” Owen backed away from the two women, “I should maybe go… and let you two talk. Kids? Give me some hugs goodbye.”

Gavin and Gus squirmed to get down out of Callie and Arizona’s respective arms, so they could say goodbye to their dad, but Allegra stood her ground and watched her mother and Arizona stare at each other.

“Mommy?”

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“Do you love Arizona?”

“Yeah, I do,” Callie looked down at her young daughter. “Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah, she’s nice.”

“She is isn’t she?”

“Super nice,” Allegra smiled.“I’m going to go say goodbye to Daddy, now.”

They watched in silence as young girl skipped over to Owen. After a moment, Arizona took the brooding brunette’s hand in her own.

“Callie, you have to know that you’ve changed my life, too.”

Callie didn’t respond verbally, but she held tight to Arizona’s hand and didn’t let go until absolutely had to.

***

Callie had arrived home first with the kids. She got them settled in the house, and called in a pizza while she changed into more casual clothes. If her heart was about to be broken, she was at least going to be in comfortable pants and some warm cozy socks.

A half an hour later, Arizona pulled into the driveway, the pizza guy right behind her. She met him on the front porch and paid for dinner. She took a deep breath and settled herself for a moment before ringing the front door bell. She was glad for the pizza buffer when door swung open and those sad brown eyes found hers.

The evening flew by in a flash. The pizza was quickly consumed. The meal was followed by an Arizona and Allegra dance party, while Callie bathed the boys. After that Arizona read to the boys while Callie helped Allegra with her bath. 

It was almost eight thirty by the time Callie poured them each a glass of wine and met Arizona out on the patio. The night was clear and warm. The stars were shining bright overhead. 

Callie had suggested the patio for their talk, she didn’t want to be confined during this conversation, she needed the fresh air to keep her breath. 

Arizona would have done anything the woman asked at this moment, so the simple request to sit under the stars was certainly okay with her.

Sitting there side-by-side in the chaise lounge chairs brought her mind back to their first date weekend. They’d promised to stay in that first date bubble for as long as they could… and now, Arizona was about to rip a giant hole it. She could only hope the damage wasn’t lasting. 

Callie sat in her lounge and waited patiently for Arizona to start. She couldn’t help the thoughts that ran uncensored in her brain. Worst case scenarios were center stage, and she just couldn’t understand why this had to happen to them. They were still so new and fragile, even though their love felt familiar and established, it wasn’t. They were only a few months into their story.

Callie sighed, her thoughts dragging her further down. She needed to get this over with.

“At some point one of us needs to actually say something for this talk to be productive,” She tried joking.

“Yeah,” Arizona agreed, though she didn’t say more.

“You are the one with all the information, Arizona, the balls in your court.”

“I know,” Arizona looked over at Callie whose head was tilted up toward the stars. “I love you.”

Callie smiled, she couldn’t help it. Every time Arizona said those words, she smiled. It was involuntary. She turned her head and let their eyes meet, which is what Arizona had been waiting for.

“Two years full control, with six months on site in Malawi. The rest at their New York headquarters, but that is negotiable.”

Callie closed her eyes. Six months. She’d be practically unreachable for six months. They hadn’t even been together that long. Then she’d be all they way across the country for years more. It was an impossible situation for them.

“I’m turning them down.”

“Why,” Callie asked softly.

“Because, I love you.”

“Arizona, you can’t just do that. This is huge, you need to do what’s best for you. I can’t be part of this decision. I don’t ever want you to resent me.”

“But I need you to help me decide! I need your help with this, Callie, please.”

“Arizona, you know what you need to do. You don’t need me say it.

“I do,” Arizona was crying now. “I need you to tell me it’s okay.”

“If I wasn’t in the picture what would you do?”

“If you weren’t in the picture,” Arizona shook her head, trying to bring herself to say it. She rubbed her temples, took a deep breath and admitted, “I’d go in a heartbeat.”

“Then there is your answer,” Callie turned back in her chair and once again gazed up at the stars. “Don’t change it because of me.”

“But, you being in the picture does change things,” Arizona insisted. “Callie look at me.” When she did, Arizona could see those deep brown eyes were filled with tears. “Part of being with someone means making sacrifices for them.”

“Arizona, the sacrifice is being apart. That’s the sacrifice. You don’t give up something like this for me, I couldn’t live with myself if you did.”

“But you turned down Addison’s offer to get your department back if she’s made chief, because of me.”

“Well, yes… kind of. You were one of the reasons,” Callie wiped at an errant tear that was attempting to breach her long lashes, “But those reasons are right for me. It doesn’t mean it’s the right decision for you. I love what I’m doing now. Maybe someday running a department will be one of my dreams, but it’s just not something I can do at this point in time.  Right now my plate is full. You are just one of the many things filling it.”

“I want my plate to be full of you, too,” Arizona moved to sit on the edge of Callie’s seat, needing to be closer to other woman.

“It can be, but it can also hold a directorship, if that’s what you want,” she reached out and toyed with a lock Arizona’s silky hair.

“A directorship in Malawi? Plus you, and…” Arizona bit her lip, she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to think this way yet, but she couldn’t help it, “and the kids?”

“Yes,” Callie swallowed hard, her heart racing at her children’s inclusion in Arizona’s list, “you can have it all, Arizona. Do you know why?”

Arizona gave a half-shrug, not sure where Callie was going.

“Because you are amazing.”

“Do you…,” Arizona paused, unsure if she wanted the answer. “Do you want me to go?”

Callie sighed, “That is a very loaded question, Arizona. If I’m being completely honest… No, I don’t want you to go.”

Arizona’s shoulders slumped, but her face remained unreadable.

“I want you with me. I always want you with me. I want to wake up to you every morning, and fall asleep with you every night. I want my kids to love you and you to love my kids. I want to spend every free moment I have wrapped in your arms, or you in mine. When you walk across the street, I want to hold your hand. When you laugh, I want to be the person that initiated it. I always want you with me.”

“I feel the same way, Callie, I…”

“I want you to turn it down and never leave me, but… that would be incredibly selfish of me. I’d never ask you to do that. I love you, Arizona Robbins, so much. But, maybe this is good thing? We’ve been so consumed with and dependent on each other these past few months. What if we lose ourselves?”

Arizona remained silent, mulling Callie’s words.

“I don’t want to lose the woman I love,” Callie whispered. “Even if it’s to me. Okay? So you go chase your dream and I will be here waiting.”

Arizona swallowed hard, “It’s only six months.”

“It’s only six months.”

“Come here,” Callie gestured for Arizona to join her in her lounger. It was what the blonde had been waiting for since Callie suggested the patio. 

Arizona sighed as she snuggled into Callie’s warm body, her head on Callie’s shoulder and arm around her waist. “We can do six months apart, easy right?”

“Sure,” Callie agreed, though she didn’t know how easy it was going to be. Plus, that didn’t take into account the possible two years in New York. She ran her hands through Arizona’s hair. “You are going to kick-ass at this you know.”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Why?” she asked. “I mean, how do you know?”

“Because you are great.”

“I’ll be exhausted and homesick.”

“You will.”

“I’ll miss you every day.”

“You will. And I’ll miss you. But, it’s only six months,” Callie sighed. “I have some vacation time coming. Maybe I can visit?”

“I.. I wouldn’t want you to.”

“Why?”

“Because our love is illegal there, and I wouldn’t be able to hide it” 

“So… we’ll manage being apart for six months.”

“But… I’ll miss the kids, too. I _like_ dancing with Allie and reading to the boys. What if they forget me?”

“They won’t forget you, Arizona, it’s only six months.”

“But… six months is like a fourth of _BoGo’s_ life. They barely know me as it is.”

“When do they want you in Africa?” Callie kissed the top of the Arizona’s head, and squeezed just a little bit tighter.

“Uh, in just over a month.”

“So, you sublet your place now, and stay with me and the kids until you go.”

“Will that be harder on them?” Arizona pulled back to look into Callie’s eyes. “Me being around all the time for a month and then leaving?” she asked. “Things have already been so volatile for them with your divorce and Owen moving out. Will throwing me into the mix, only to leave again just be harder on them?”

“Only if you don’t come back to us,” Callie ran her fingers across a soft cheek, her hand coming to a rest just below Arizona’s hairline.

“That’s never going to happen, Calliope,” Arizona turned her head and kissed Callie on the palm, “That’s one thing I can promise.”

Callie pulled the other woman in tight. They both became lost in their own thoughts. Callie couldn’t help but wonder if this was her fault. What if the universe was testing them because of what she did for the other Arizona. Genie had said their life was on the upswing while the other version of them was about to be tested, but what if her interference in that test had backfired and now the universe was looking to punish her and Arizona because of it?

A shiver ran through her at the notion, she felt like the cold hand of fate had just reached out and made itself known.

 

 


	30. Chapter 30

Arizona slowly pulled herself from her deep dreamless slumber. She felt the bed moving beside her, making her ascent to consciousness quicker, but it was still a struggle. After the emotional conversation she’d had with Callie last night, her drained and tired body shut down hard. 

Her eyes eventually flicked open to find a set of gorgeous brown ones staring back. They just weren’t exactly the ones she expected. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, “Good morning,” she smiled.

“Hi,” the little boy replied.

Arizona reach over and tweaked his tiny nose and asked, “Where is your mommy?”

“Making ‘cakes for bwreakfast,” he said. His head was on the pillow next to Arizona’s.

“Oh, I love pancakes. Do you think she will make me some?”

The boy just nodded. After a few seconds of silent staring, he started wiggling and jumping, which prompted Arizona to sit up in the bed and pull him to her lap to settle him down.

She wished she knew if this was Gus or Gavin. She knew she’d get it eventually, but she felt bad not being able to tell yet.

He looked up at her and asked, “Are you and Mommy married now?”

“What?” Arizona blurted in surprise, “Why would you think that?”

“Bobby.”

“Bobby?” Arizona was confused and at a loss. Luckily for her, Callie came through the bedroom door. 

“There you are, Gav, your pancakes are ready. Go eat, your plate is on the table.” The boy slid out of Arizona’s grasp and ran from the bedroom as fast has his little footy pajama’d feet could take him. “I’m sorry if he woke you.”

“No… it’s no problem,” Arizona smiled at the sight of pajama’d Callie and her messy morning hair. She even had a touch of pancake dough on her cheek. “You should’ve woken me earlier, actually.”

“You were sleeping so soundly, I thought you could use the extra rest,” Callie sat on the bed next to Arizona and pulled her into a quick ‘good morning’ kiss. 

“Mmm,” Arizona moaned into the kiss. She pulled back slightly, her eyes still closed, “I have morning breath.”

Callie rubbed their noses together, “I don’t care.”

“Gavin asked if we were married.”

“What?” Callie pulled back, her eyes instantly wide. “Why would he say that?”

“I asked him and all he said was ‘Bobby’? Who’s Bobby?”

“Oh,” Callie nodded. “Yeah, Bobby. He’s a character, that one.”

“Are you going to clue me in on this Bobby person? Should I be jealous?”

“Never and always.”

“Now I’m even more confused.”

“I’ll never intentionally give you reason to be jealous, but I’ll always happily reap the benefits of your possessive nature,” Callie couldn’t help but kiss Arizona again.

“Okay,” Arizona smiled as she pulled out of the lip lock, “Now explain Bobby.”

“Bobby is a kid in BoGo’s daycare who told them that married people sleep together. Owen and I never slept in the same bed, so the boys actually didn’t think we were married. But last night…”

“I slept with you, in your bed.”

“Yep, so now, I guess Gav thinks we’re married,” Callie pulled Arizona in for another kiss. When she pulled back again she asked, “What did you tell him?”

“Nothing,” Arizona stood and stretched her back. “You came in the room and he was off after his ‘cakes.” Arizona went into the ensuite bathroom and started brushing her teeth.

“We do need to have a talk with them,” Callie sighed. She followed Arizona over, and stood in the doorway to the bathroom and watched her go through her morning routine. “With you moving in, then moving to Africa…”

Arizona spit out the foamy toothpaste, then made eye contact with Callie in the mirror. “Do you need to talk to Owen first?”

“Why would I need to talk to him?” Callie’s face scrunched in confusion. 

“I mean…” Arizona turned to face Callie, “I’m moving into his house.” She gestured around with her toothbrush.

“My house,” Callie corrected.

“Yeah, but his kids,” she grabbed the hand towel and wiped her face.

“Arizona?” Callie eyebrows raised in question.

“I don’t want to cause any issues,” she replied simply. She slipped past Callie, walked back into the bedroom, and sat back on the edge of the bed.  

“What issues?”

“If Owen were to suddenly decide to move in with Cristina, you’d want to know first, right?.”

“Sure I’d want to know, but I wouldn’t be part of the decision. That’s not my…,” Callie stopped and thought for a second. She sat next to Arizona on the bed. “Wow. What if Owen moves in with Yang? She’s not the warmest of people. Would she treat the kids okay? Would she feed them? All she had in her refrigerator was dry cereal. Remember?”

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Yang’s refrigerator.”

“Yeah, you did. Last week when you… oh,” Callie frowned at her mistake. “That was the other you.”

“That’s… that is… I’m never going to get used to that, actually. It’s weird, Callie,” Arizona sighed.

“I know,” Callie bit her lip and as her eyes roamed the other woman’s face. “At least we know it won’t be happening anytime soon. I’m grounded, remember?”

“Right,” Arizona looked around the room awkwardly. “I uh… I think we got off subject.”

“Yeah,” Callie replied. “We did.”

“I really want Owen to be okay with this.”

“He is,” Callie insisted. “He likes you, he respects you, he knows we are together.”

“Calliope, I… I don’t want him to think I’m trying to replace him. And if I move in… I don’t want the kids to think that either. I don’t want them to resent me.”

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that. You can’t. They’re kids who love their dad. I think I need him on my side. If he’s okay me moving in… they will be. I want… I just…,” Arizona sighed in frustration, “I’m scared, Callie.”

Callie wasn’t sure how to interpret what Arizona was saying, “Do you not want to move in? If it’s too soon, I understand. I mean, if you weren’t moving to Africa in a month. I don’t think we’d…. This is all so fast. I get that.”

“No, no…,” Arizona shook her head and pulled Callie into her. “I do. I want to be here with you. I just… I need to define my role. I’m afraid I’m going to love them, then lose them,” she started to panic again about leaving, “I need something to hold onto while I’m away. I need something tangible. I need words. Labels. Who will I be to the kids? I can’t be their parent, they barely know me.”

“Arizona, you’re not going to lose them, because you’re not going to lose me. We are a package deal. And… you don't have to be their parent… You just be you, because they will love you no matter what.”

“But who am I?”

“Nona!” Gus came running into the room, dragging his blanket behind him. He ran to Arizona and immediately started climbing into her lap, as soon as he did his sticky, syrupy fingers found her face. Apparently, he loved her cheeks.

“Gussy, are you finished with your breakfast?” Callie asked. She reached over and ruffled his white blonde hair, her face breaking into a smile at the pair. She was overjoyed at his sudden infatuation with Arizona’s face— a fondness she completely shared.

“Mommy, Gavin spilled his milk,” Allegra tattled from the door.

“What? How,” Callie asked. “It was in a sippy cup!”

“He opened it.”

“Ugh, I’m coming,” Callie sighed. As she made her way toward the bedroom door, she turned to Arizona and said, “I guess we left them down there alone too long.”

“Sorry,” Arizona said sheepishly, hugging Gus tightly, “I held you up.”

“It’s not your fault, Arizona… I didn’t mean to imply…”

“I know. You go take care of Gav and I’m going to get Mr. Gus’ sticky fingers and face wiped off.” She stood and carried him toward the bathroom. “Allie? Do you need to clean up too?”

“Yes,” the young girl followed Arizona into the bathroom, her eyes taking in the still unmade bed. “Did you sleep in Mommy’s room last night?” 

Arizona sat Gus on the sink and grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet. “Yes,” she looked down at Allegra to gauge the young girls reaction.

Allegra put both her hands over her mouth and giggled. 

“Why is that funny?” Arizona smiled.

“I don’t know,” Allegra answered honestly. “Is it ‘cause you love her?”

“Did I sleep here because I love her? Is that what you’re asking?”

Allegra nodded, “Uh huh.”

“Yes. I love your mother very much.”

“What about us? Do you love us? Are we going to be a family?”

“Allegra!” Callie appeared at the bathroom door, Gavin on her hip. “How about we not interrogate Arizona before she’s even had her breakfast, ‘kay?”

“No, Callie, it’s fine,” Arizona said. “I think… we do need to talk about this.”

“Okay,” Callie wasn’t sure this was the time for the conversation, but Arizona seemed adamant on sorting things into definable categories. She sat Gavin on the sink by his brother, and picked Allegra up and plopped her next to them too. “Though, I didn’t imagine having this serious conversation in the bathroom.” 

Callie looked at Arizona for a bit of courage, then back to her kids. “Arizona is my girlfriend. Do you know what that means?”

“You’re married!” Gavin shouted.

“No, Gav!” Allegra corrected. “It means that they love each other and like to hold hands!”

Gus reached out and grabbed Arizona’s hand, causing a lump to form in the woman’s throat, “Yeah, Gussy, like that.”

“I wanna hold Nona’s hand too!” Gavin insisted.

“Then it’s a good thing I have two,” Arizona winked and took hold of Gavin’s tiny hand as well.

“She’s going to be staying here a lot for the next couple weeks guys. Actually, she’s going to live here for a little while until she has to go away on a long trip for work. Do you understand?”

Gus and Gavin both nodded, the little hands still grasping Arizona’s. Allegra’s brow furrowed, though, and that worried Callie.

“Allie?”

“Is she going to be living here?”

“Yes,” Callie answered honestly.

“Is Daddy coming home?”

“No sweetie, we talked about this. Daddy lives with your Nana now.”

“I know,” she replied. Her face still slightly twisted with confusion. “But… Will he be mad at us?”

“What?” Callie asked, surprised at Allegra’s question. 

“Will Daddy be mad at us… if we love Arizona?”

“Sweetheart,” Callie pulled Allegra into a hug, “your father would never be mad at you for making room in your heart for someone else. I promise.”

“Okay,” the little girl tentatively smiled at Arizona. 

“We’ll talk to your father. Then maybe we can all have a big family dinner so we can talk about Arizona moving in,” Callie made eye contact with Arizona, who had an I-told-you-so look on her face.

***

Callie looked at the clock in daycare, surprised they weren’t late given the extra pandemonium of the morning. The kids loved having Arizona there when they woke up; it felt like a sleep over to the rambunctious children. It definitely threw off the morning routine, however, as they each fought for the blonde’s attention.

She had about fifteen minutes to get to the boardroom. This morning’s meeting was especially important, because Board would be announcing the new Chief of Surgery.  Arizona left them shortly after entering the hospital. She begged off helping to take the kids to the daycare, stating she had ‘something important to do before the meeting’. Callie was too hurried, thinking they were late, to worry about Arizona’s errand.

***

Arizona waited patiently outside the board room door. She knew the board rep and the new chief were on the other side of that door, and she thought about trying to get a glimpse of which candidate was in the room, but that wasn’t really her concern right now. She didn’t care who was chief, as long as it wasn’t Lauren, and that was already decided. She was here for other reasons… and that reason had just walked around the corner.

“Hunt!” Arizona jumped from where she’d been leaning against the wall and headed toward the frazzled looking interim chief.

“Good morning, Dr. Robbins,” he strode up to her, coffee and briefcase in hand. He held them up, “sorry, I’d shake but…”

“I need to talk to you for minute,” Arizona said immediately. She didn’t have time for niceties. She was stressed. Years past, she’d dying for a cigarette, but right now, she just wanted to get this off her chest. “In private.”

He looked concerned, “Is everything okay? Callie… the kids?”

“They’re fine,” Arizona looked around, “I promise, but they are what I want to talk about.set”  She pointed to the lounge across from the board room. “Can we?”

“Lead the way…,” he responded. “But we have to be quick, the board is waiting on me.”

“I know, this won’t take long.”

***

Arizona closed the door so her and Owen could have some privacy. She bit her lip nervously while Owen set his coffee and briefcase on the small table.

“Do I need to sit down for this?” He asked, obviously joking to alleviate some of the tension in the room, but when Arizona didn’t answer right away, he began to get nervous.  “Arizona?”

She looked up, momentarily startled. She wasn’t sure she ever remembered him calling her by her first name. Their relationship had never really progressed beyond professional.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and decided to dive right in. “I love your wife. I’m in love with your wife, and… feel bad saying this, but I think I have been for a while.”

“But she said… that she never…,” Owen looked hurt. Despite, he himself being a cheater, the thought of Callie cheating on him upset him.

“Oh! No, no… I’m not saying we ever… We barely spoke, I swear. I just… I admired her from afar. I didn’t realize the extent of my feelings until she and started… After you guys called it quits.”

“Okay,” he relaxed a little, “what exactly are you getting at?”

“I want a future with Callie.”

Owen nodded, still not sure where the other woman was going with this conversation.

Arizona continued, “I realize that a future with Callie, means a future with the kids.”

Owen’s expression was gradually becoming more stern, the crease in his brow becoming deeper, but he remained silent.

“I know you know that Marybeth Madison offered me the clinic in Africa…”

“No,” Owen shook his head. His face becoming red with anger, “No, you aren’t taking them to Africa… I can’t let you.”

Arizona’s eyes widened in surprise, “That’s not…”

“I’m all for you being part of their lives. Callie… she’s never been happier, but…”

“Owen, calm down,” Arizona interrupted, “that’s not what I’m trying to do. I would never do that. Callie wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t follow me to Africa. She’d never take them from you. I just wanted you to know that I’m moving in with them until I go.”

Owen visibly relaxed, “You want to move into the house, that’s all?”

“Yes, temporarily. Until I go to Africa,” Arizona clarified. “Then when I come back, I want to come home to them.”

He swallowed and nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Well,” Arizona started slowly backing toward the door. “That’s all. I just thought you should know. Callie has plans to tell you… tonight, maybe, but I wanted to speak to you personally. Out of respect.”

“Thank you,” he nodded, “for telling me yourself. I couldn’t ask for a better person to be part of my kids lives.”

Arizona smiled, and turned to leave. Just as her hand hit the knob, Owen spoke again, “She would you know.”

Arizona turned back to face, “Hmm?”

“Callie. She’d follow you anywhere. And, I know…,” he sighed. “I know I wouldn’t be able to stop her.”

***

When Arizona and Owen exited the lounge, a crowd had formed around the the boardroom across the corridor. They pushed their way through the swarm, so that Owen could get to front and into the room. It was his job to escort in the new chief.

Callie was standing close to the front. She’d been waiting for Arizona to arrive, so she didn’t flinch when other woman’s hand slid into her own. She leaned into the blonde and whispered, “Where were you?”

“Just... taking care of something,” Arizona softly deflected Callie’s question, causing the brunette’s eyes to narrow.

Callie was about to question her further, but Owen came back out of the boardroom with Larry Jennings, Addison Montgomery, and Mark Sloan following close behind. A murmur went through the crowed at the sight of the two candidates. Obviously, one of them had been given the position, as the others surely would have been there had they been chosen.

Owen cleared his throat, “All right, all right. Settle down everyone, it’s time to meet the new Chief of Surgery. Mr. Jennings, would you like to do the honors?”

“I’m not going to waste your time by making a big speech,” Jennings said. “Ellis Grey ran this hospital with a steely determination, she wasn’t one for protracted discourse. So we are going to get right to it. After many hours of intense deliberations, the board has decided…”

Cristina and Meredith elbowed their way through crowd, coming to a stop right next to Callie and Arizona. 

“Did announce it yet?” Cristina asked.

“Shhh,” Callie chastised her former student. “He’s just about to.”

“The next Chief of Surgery for Seattle Grace Hospital is…”

 


	31. Chapter 31

***

_“The next Chief of Surgery for Seattle Grace Hospital is…”_

***

Larry Jennings paused for effect, then said, “Mark Sloan.”

Several members of the assembled group gasped audibly. Most of the Seattle Grace employees had hoped for Addison Forbes Montgomery, one of their own.

Callie squeezed Arizona’s hand and turned to her, dumbfounded. Arizona returned the look of shock. Both women were stunned by this turn of events. After Lauren had been dismissed, they were sure Addison was going to be the top choice. 

“Calm down,” Jennings shouted. “I wasn’t finished.” 

Jennings' declaration pulled Callie’s attention away from Arizona, and back to the group at the front of the crowd. Mark was standing there, grinning smugly, his bluetooth earpiece device attached to the side of his head. He looked sharp and professional in his suit, and his overall demeanor suggested an overinflated sense of self worth. 

Callie couldn’t help but like him, despite all his pompousness.There was just something about Mark Sloan that drew her to him. Something intangible. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but she knew, in some way, that he was important to her life. Not Arizona important--no one was Arizona important--but she knew he would somehow alter her life in an unexpected fashion.

She was pulled out of her introspection by Larry Jennings’ next words.

“Dr. Sloan has graciously agreed to be the interim chief while Dr. Montgomery finishes her maternity leave. His original temporary contract with the hospital lines up perfectly with Dr. Montgomery’s leave,” Jennings explained. “And the two will be working closely together during her time off to prep for her return. This hospital is in good hands people. I see no reason for us not to remain number one. Now if you have questions for your new Chiefs of Surgery, you can ask them now.”

Several people in the crowd looked as though they were about to start asking questions, but Mark held up his hands to stop them.

“Actually,” he said. “I think it would be best if we cover these questions one-on-one over the course of the next few days. Starting this afternoon, I’ll be instituting a little something I like to call ‘Beef with the Chief’. I’ll be having lunch in the cafeteria every day, and any and everyone who wishes to share food and discourse are welcome to join me…”

Addison rolled her eyes and shook her head at the ego next to her. Mark continued to talk for several minutes as the crowd slowly started to disperse. She saw Meredith Webber disappear down the corridor. She was going to be an issue that Addison would need to deal with as soon as possible. She didn’t want there to be any animosity between the two when she returned to full duty.

Once Mark finished his speech, Addison moved through crowd to her waiting friends.

Callie was the first to greet her, enveloping the redhead in a giant hug. 

Addison pulled back from Callie, then shared a brief hug with Arizona. Cristina, who’d made her way to them after Meredith left, held up her hand in a stopping motion. Addison just nodded in return.

“You did it!” Callie couldn’t contain her joy. 

Addison shook her head, “Eventually. But for now it’s Mark Sloan, Chief of Surgery,” she grimaced. “That makes me vomit a little in my mouth.”

“Hey,” Mark bellowed from right behind her. “I’m standing right here, Addie! And you agreed to this. You deserve the job,” he said, surprisingly sincerely, “but you also deserve to finish your maternity leave. You earned that time off!” He patted her on the back. “So you just sit back and let me show you how it’s done for a few months.”

“Okay, now I’m vomiting a little,” Cristina said.

“Why do you make all the women in your life want to puke, Sloan?” Arizona poked him in the bicep.

“Be careful, Blondie, I’m your boss now.”

“Oh no. Not me,” Arizona smiled. “I’m headed to Africa.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. I heard about that. Well then,” he mused, “I guess it’ll be your girlfriend I’m making puke for the next few months.” He put his arm around Callie’s shoulder and pulled her in for a bro hug. 

Arizona didn’t have a reply, so she just scowled at the man. His comment gave her an uneasy feeling, and she wanted to vomit at the site of his arm around Callie, but she pushed it aside when her pager blared from her pocket.

“I’ve gotta go,” Arizona looked up from her pager. She removed Mark’s arm from around Callie, and quickly pecked her cheek, before turning to the others, “Congratulations to you both,” her gaze moved from Addison to Mark, “I guess,” before running off down the corridor toward the elevators.

“What’s her problem, Callie?” Mark asked. “Why doesn’t she like me?”

“It’s nothing you’ve done, Mark, I promise. It’s just…”

“Your personality? That hair?” Addison jumped in. “That stupid thing in your ear?”

“Oh, it’s definitely the thing in your ear,” Cristina added, “It’s pretentious and idiotic. Also, because of your choice of specialty, you lack credibility.”

“Whatever,” Mark waved them off, “I don’t have to take this abuse. Plastics changes people's lives, Yang. You wish you could be my fellow,” He turned to Jackson, who’d been waiting in the background. “Take Avery here, he has something special. He has sparkle. He’s going to change lives, Yang. You? You’d better rise.” He walked away with Jackson scampering behind.

“He’s going to be unbearable for the next few months, you realize that,” Addison said.

“Yeah,” Callie nodded, but smiled a little too. “Yeah, he is.”

“Rise, huh?” Cristina scowled, and mumbled to herself as she walked away, “I’ll show him. Avery may changes lives, but I plan to make history.”

***

Arizona arrived at the pediatric surgery ward nurses’ station. She was slightly out of breath, due to the fact she ran most of the way. 

“I was paged,” she huffed. “911.”

The nurse behind the station desk looked surprised to see her, “Um, no. Not that I’m aware of.”

“What?” she pulled out her pager and looked at it again. “Yeah, see,” she handed the pager to the nurse so she could verify what it said. 

“Well, I don’t know who…”

“It was me,” Alex Karev strode confidently up to the desk. “I paged you.”

“Oh, okay,” Arizona took her pager from the nurse and turned to Alex. “What’s the emergency? Is it Faith? Did we get a heart? I’ll page Callie!”

“No, no, it’s not Faith. There’s no heart yet. I just,” he licked his lips and looked around. The nurse was sitting at the station watching them intently, so he grabbed Arizona by the elbow and led her down the hall to a more private area.

“What the…?” Arizona pulled herself out of his grasp. “Get your paws off of me, Karev. What’s your problem?”

“You are.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“Do you remember when you said you saw potential in me and talked me into staying here for the pediatric fellowship?”

Arizona cringed, she had a suspicion where this was going, “Um, yeah…”

“Well, I heard a rumor last night that said you aren’t even going to be here. That you’re headed to Africa!”

“How…?” Arizona was irritated. “The gossip in this place precedes the deed. I haven’t even officially agreed.”

“But you plan to?”

“Yes, I’m making it official today.”

“Dude, you need to take me with you.”

“What? Why? Stark will be here and he’s a fine mentor,” she blatantly lied.

“No, you promised me you would teach me. I’m going to Africa with you. There is nothing for me here. My personal life is in a shambles, this fellowship was all I had left here! I had other offers you know, away from Seattle, but you promised me you’d teach me. I want you to teach me, not some dumbass who doesn’t answer pages and has the beside manner of a grizzly bear. I _have_ to go with you.”

“Alex,  I don’t know…”

“Plus,” he continued, ignoring her attempted dismissal. “I gotta get out of town. I slept with Webber the other night.”

“Oh my god!” Arizona’s hands flew to her mouth. “I thought she was with McDreary now?”

“Not that Webber,” Alex said. “The other one. Maggie.”

“Oh, Alex. First you cheated on your fiancee with her best friend, then slept with her sister?”

“Yeah.”

“Why… why would you do that? When did you even have time? I thought she left right after the… oh my god. Alex. Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her the night of the memorial.”

“Okay, I won’t…,” he shrugged, “but I’d be lying.”

“Oh ho ho, _you_ are so dead,” Arizona couldn’t believe he’d done that. “My god, Alex. She was grieving and… and _vulnerable_!”

“Look, it wasn’t a big deal,” he insisted. “Maggie said she was fine. She just wanted to, you know… feel something.”

“And that something had to be your… man parts?”

“Gross, Robbins. Don’t say man parts,” his face twisted in disgust. “She said she was going back to Boston, so I thought it would be simple. No one had to know, but now… now she’s moving here when her residency is finished! I can’t stay. Richard will murder me. He already looks at me like I’m dead to him, but now I’ve defiled both his daughters! You have to take me with you!”

“Alright, alright,” Arizona finally relented. “I’ll see what I can do. Maybe we can do some sort of fellowship exchange.” She thought for a moment. “Yeah, this… this could be good. You’ll be able to learn a lot there, plus I’ll have someone I trust…,” she looked him up and down, “professionally. But no,” she waved her hand vaguely in the direction of her crotch, “no sleeping around. You have to promise not to let your penis get you into trouble in Africa.”

“I promise.”

***

That afternoon, Arizona officially gave the hospital notice of her intent to leave for six months, or more. The details of her stateside involvement once she returned from Malawi had yet to be worked out, but she knew she was coming home to Seattle, even if the Carter Madison people didn’t.

Callie went to have her big Arizona-is-moving-in conversation with Owen, only to find out he already knew, and his blessing was freely given. Not that she needed his permission she reminded herself, but his approval made everything easier.

Things moved quickly after that, Arizona moved in with Callie and the kids almost immediately. She sublet her apartment to Dr. Altman, who she’d become fast friends with, filling the friendship void that Samantha Wiley’s betrayal had left.

Callie became less worried over the possibility of Mark’s imminent death as the days passed and her focus shifted to worrying about Arizona leaving. 

Arizona tried to keep the everyday details of her departure out of their lives. She wanted this month and a half she had left to be as carefree and normal as possible. 

The days when the kids were there, were some of the most vibrant and connected she’s felt since childhood. She found herself loving the role of caregiver, despite herself. Growing up, she had a near perfect childhood, untested by hardships such as poverty or abuse. She had a loving family that accepted her sexuality and embraced her single-minded drive to be a doctor. The idea of children of her own, though never ruled out, hadn’t been in the forefront of her mind. 

Living with Callie’s three tiny humans, though tough at times, had been some of the most rewarding experiences of her life. Callie’s kids loved freely, without prejudice. Even when they became stubborn and obtuse, there was never any malice. Being a pediatric surgeon, she knew this about children, but now that she’s experienced the joy first hand, she couldn’t imagine her life without that kind of unconditional love ever again. 

When the kids were with Owen, though, those days were spent lavishing attention on Callie and strengthening their relationship.  Arizona felt this need to squeeze everything she could in before she left. It was vital to her future she take their potential and compress it into something they could consume quickly. Even though they’d felt inevitable from the start, she couldn’t help but think of the other versions of them. Callie had said they’d been together for years in that universe-- Arizona wanted to duplicate the strength of that long term commitment when she left. She didn’t want their lack of measurable time together to weaken their connection. Not that Callie had ever given her reason to doubt, but it was in her nature to seek security. 

Roughly three weeks, that’s all she had left. Twenty-two days and 17 hours until she boarded a plane to Africa. 

They only had three weeks, and Callie was late for dinner. A very important dinner. It was their five month anniversary, though it felt like much more, and Arizona had a special gift for her. If she ever arrived. They agreed to celebrate five months, because Arizona would be gone for their sixth month anniversary, and they wanted to have a special moment before she left. 

The server came by the table to see if Arizona wanted anything while she waited. She considered getting a glass of wine, but wanted to share a bottle with Callie, so she politely declined and continued to sip on her water while she waited. 

Twenty minutes and three glasses of water later, Callie finally arrived. 

“I’m so sorry!” she said as soon as she walked up to the table. She leaned in for a chaste kiss, before taking her seat across from Arizona at the intimate table at the back of the romantic four star Italian restaurant. “There was a complication in my surgery, then I got stopped on my way out by ‘Chief Sloan’,” she couldn’t help the chuckle that erupted every time she said that. She shook her head and continued, “Anyway, he wanted to talk about the new crop of interns, and I was just not in the mood. I knew you were probably already here, so I told him to ‘fuck-off, I was busy’, so if I get fired…”

Arizona watched, wide-eyed, as Callie rambled on about why she was late. Since moving in with Callie and the kids, she felt so much more at ease. More grounded. She knew Africa wasn’t going to ruin them. It couldn’t touch them, because no matter where she was, from now on and into the future, Callie would always be her home. She fell more in love with her, and the idea of a family with her, every day. With every shared moment, every conversation, every dinner, every kiss, every grumpy spat-- which also came with living together-- she fell deeper, harder, more. She hoped Callie and Genie were right about their fates being forever entwined, because if they weren’t, and they somehow fell apart, Arizona wasn’t sure she’d survive it. She was in too deep. She was beyond the event horizon. There was no turning back. 

“Don’t ever leave,” Arizona found herself saying. It came unbidden. Involuntary. 

“What?” Callie asked. “I just got here…”

She hadn’t intended to say it, but now that she had, she was going all in. “Don’t. Ever. Leave,” Arizona repeated. She wasn’t sad or afraid. She was happy and content. Her life wasn’t what she’d imagined it’d be a few years ago, it was so much more. In just a few months, her world and outlook had changed. She knew what she wanted, and that was Callie… and her kids. And maybe something more in the future.“Promise me right now,” she insisted.  

“Arizona. I’m not going anywhere,” Callie said sincerely, her brow furrowed slightly with worry. 

“Good,” the blonde nodded and smiled, her dimples popping. “That’s good.”

“You’re the one that’s leaving, you know,” Callie reached out and grabbed Arizona’s hand.

“I realize that,” Arizona smiled again. She couldn’t stop smiling. “I’m speaking metaphorically, though, not in the literal sense. I know I’m physically leaving you and the kids, but I’ll still be with you.”

“I know,” Callie smiled her own dazzling smile in return. “You have to promise me the same.”

“I do promise, but…”

“But?”

“But, I have to run,” Arizona stood up, “right now.”

“Wait, what?” 

“To the restroom,” she said, “I drank almost a gallon of water waiting on you! If the server comes by, tell him we are ready for our wine and appetizer.”

“You already ordered?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s…. kind of hot, actually. As long as you…”

“I didn’t get shellfish, I promise,” Arizona rolled her eyes. “Now, if you don’t mind,  I really have to go…”

***

Arizona returned to the table just as they delivered the wine. She tasted and approved the selection and the sommelier left them to enjoy their evening. 

Callie looked around the restaurant, “This place is really nice. I haven’t been here since the remodel.”

“Yeah. It’s almost hard to believe this is the same place. Those poor people, though.”

“I know, roof collapse on Valentine’s Day? That had to be fate telling some people to slow down,” Callie drug out the word slow for emphasis.

“What do you think fate is telling us?”“Hmm, I’m not sure… I’ll let you know when I see what appetizer you ordered,” Callie teased.

***

The two women enjoyed Callie’s favorite antipasto. Arizona, of course, had ordered the perfect starter. She knew Callie well, despite the short amount of time they had been together.

“Calliope?”

“Hmm?” She looked up from her wine to find Arizona smiling at her again. “God, you are in a good mood tonight. You won’t stop smiling.”

“Because I love you.”

“You loved me yesterday, and yet you were irritated at me for three hours!”

“You wouldn’t let me watch American Bake-off!”

Callie looked at Arizona incredulously, “Because the Seahawks were playing Miami! That doesn’t happen very often, you know,” she said. 

“No, I didn’t know that, because I hate football,” Arizona replied.

“I gathered that,” Callie smiled.

“I just never had a chance to get into it,” Arizona defended herself. “I never had a home team to root for. We moved around so much.”

“Well, you have a home team now,” Callie said sincerely, “The kids and I will get you a Seahawks jersey when you get back. Okay?”

“And that is why I’ve been smiling,” Arizona grinned again. “You’re my home, Callie. Living with you the past month has been amazing and I can’t wait until we can do this for real. When I get back and we can start the rest of our lives.”

“Have you talked to the Carter Madison people about the stateside part of your contract? Are you sure you can do it here?”

“If they don’t let me... I’ll resign,” Arizona said. “It’s that simple. If six months is all I can give them, then it’s all I can give them.”

“You don’t feel like you owe them?” Callie asked.

“No,” Arizona shook her head, “not at all. I feel like they will owe me for going in and fixing the mess Lauren made. It was their stupidity for falling for her. Trust me, I get it. She’s very manipulative, but she had no idea of the ins-and-outs of what it would take to set up and run a clinic in Malawi. I’d been researching since medical school. The only thing she did was edit my proposal. If they’d asked her even a few simple questions, she would’ve crashed and burned a lot sooner. So no. I don’t feel like I owe them anything.”

Callie breathed a heavy sigh of relief, “Oh, thank God.”

“You were worried that’d I’d go to New York?”

“Only just a teeny tiny bit,” Callie admitted. “A small, small amount.”

“Well, then,” Arizona pulled something out of her purse, “here’s my promise to return to you.” She handed the small jewelry box over to Callie, who looked surprised. 

“Arizona?” Callie swallowed hard.

“It’s not a ring…,” Arizona said quickly, “Not yet. It’s just a physical reminder to keep with you to…. well, remind you that I’m coming home. To you. That you hold my heart.”

Callie opened the box to reveal heart-shaped necklace. It was solid yellow gold, and gorgeous. “Arizona, I… I love it.” 

Arizona’s dimples shown once again at Callie’s appreciation of her gift. 

Callie grinned mischievously, “I uh, got you a little something,” she slid a very similar box across the table, “because you hold my heart, too.”

Arizona opened the box straight away, only to find a white gold heart necklace. She looked up at Callie, shocked at their almost identical gifts.

Callie just shrugged, “I guess Fate is telling us we’re in sync...”

“And that we’re going to be okay,” Arizona surmised.

Callie lifted her glass of wine, “To Fate.”

“To Fate.”

***


	32. Chapter 32

Arizona was due back at any moment, and Callie wasn’t ready. She was about to meet Arizona’s brother and parents, in person, for the first time, and she was beginning to stress. Their flight had been delayed, so they hadn’t arrived until late last night. The kids had already been asleep, so a mildly disappointed Arizona had taken her family straight to the hotel. Instead of meeting them on the Friday of her last full weekend before Africa, Callie and Arizona  both thought it'd be best to introduce the kids late Saturday morning, after breakfast, but before lunch and nap time.  

Callie was helping Allie pick out an outfit, while the boys were in the tub. They normally bathed at night, but the syrup from waffles had been all over them, and a quick bath seemed the easiest solution. She didn’t count on the break in routine to be so… diverting for the boys. Instead of the calming affect the nighttime bath induced, they were becoming more and more rowdy. She could hear their splashing and giggles clearly though the open door.

“I’m have to get back in there with your brothers, can you finish dressing yourself?”

“Yes, mommy, I’m a big girl,” Allegra jumped a little. “When’s Arizona going to be back? I want her to braid my hair.”

“Soon, baby, she’s at the hotel picking up her parent’s. It shouldn’t be long. Now, hurry and get dressed,” Callie pointed to the clothes she laid out. “Which do you want to wear? The boys are wearing the shirts Arizona got them.”

“I want to wear mine, too!”

“Okay, put it on,” Callie swiped the girl's hair out of her eyes, “I’m going to go get BoGo out of the tub.” They had gone suspiciously quiet and Callie was afraid of what she’d find in the attached bathroom.

She stepped through the threshold to the bathroom to find one adorable boy sitting quietly in the tub playing with his boat.

“Gavin? Where’s Gus?”

“He went to find Nona,” the small boy replied, nonchalantly. “He missed her.”

Callie growled, her frustration growing, “Come on, let’s get you out and go find him, before Arizona’s family gets here.”

***

Arizona led her brother and parents through the mudroom that connected the garage to the house. When she moved in, Callie put her Thunderbird in long term storage, so that Arizona could keep her car in the garage. This made Arizona happier than she cared to admit. Parking in the garage wasn’t something guests did. Guests parked in the driveway. This was her home now, and her spot in the garage proved it.

“So,” Barbara ventured. “This is where you live now? It’s so nice! Don’t you think so, Daniel?”

“It’s very nice,” the Colonel agreed.

“It’s very domestic, that’s for sure, Sis,”  Timothy added. “Don’t you miss that fancy apartment?”

“No,” Arizona replied distractedly.

“This kitchen is gorgeous, dear, and…,” Barbara paused when she noticed a preoccupied Arizona looking around worriedly. “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know…,” Arizona replied. “I thought Callie and the kids would be…” She started walking toward the hall that leads to the foyer, when a tiny, blonde, naked blur came running into the kitchen.

“Nona!” Gus yelled. “You’re here! I missed you!”

“Gussy, I was only gone for an hour. Where is your mother… and your clothes?” As soon as the question was out of Arizona’s mouth, the woman in question came bursting into the kitchen carrying a still dripping wet Gavin, wrapped in a towel, with Allegra close behind giggling, and carrying a towel for Gus.

“There you are you slippery little…” Callie stopped mid-sentence when she saw the kitchen full of Robbinses. Allegra skidded to a stop, her eyes wide.

Arizona took the towel from young girl, wrapped it around Gus and picked him up. She turned to her amused family, “Mom, Dad, Tim… This is Callie and that adorable little girl with her t-shirt on backwards is Allegra,” she pointed to boy in Callie’s arms, “that’s Gavin, and this little streaker is Angus. Gus for short.”

***

The introductions made, the four Robbinses sat at the table chatting, while Callie made coffee and watched nervously from the other side of the kitchen. Arizona braided Allegra’s hair, and the boys were fascinated by Tim’s prosthesis.

“No,” Tim corrected them. “It’s not actually a robot leg. It’s pretty close, but not quite ‘robot’ yet. I’m on the waiting list for a biomechanical ankle, though. A fully powered one. It’s really cool. It has…”

“Tim?” Arizona interrupted her brother, “they’re two. They don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I do,” Callie ventured as she brought the coffee to the table. “I recently read an article on the effects of a powered ankle-foot prosthesis on kinetic loading of the contralateral limb. It’s fascinating stuff. I can try to find it later… if you want?”

“Yeah, Callie, that’d be great! I knew you were my favorite. Arizona never looks up fancy medical articles for me.” Tim smiled, then looked smugly at his sister, who just rolled her eyes in response.

“Callie, I thought you were a heart surgeon?” Barbara asked.

“She is, Mom,” Arizona replied. “She just a very smart, well-read one.”

Callie blushed. All eyes were on her, except those of the Colonel. He stared silently at the two boys playing around Tim’s leg.  Callie’s gaze followed his so she quickly shooed the boys away from the prosthesis.

“BoGo, leave Timothy alone. He’s tired and his leg is not a toy.”

“They’re okay,” Tim smiled. “I promise. They can’t hurt this thing.” He tapped on the hard plastic.

“Their curiosity is natural,” the Colonel finally spoke. “It’s Tim’s fault for wearing shorts. I can’t believe you even wore those things on the flight last night. It’s inappropriate travel attire for a Marine.”

“Well, you try getting through airport security with a hunk of metal attached to you. It saves time and alleviates stress for me, other travelers, and the TSA agents.  Dad, you know this. You were with me.”

“Okay, Dad? Tim? Let’s not,” Arizona admonished the two. “I’m going to Africa for six months, I don’t want to fight. I want my families to meet and get along. I need to have a happy and healthy frame of mind to keep me going until I get home. So just… stop it.”

***

Callie gave Barbara a tour the house, and the three kids took Tim out back to show them the yard and their outside toys, which left Arizona alone with her dad.

“Sir?” She went the formal route; she wanted his approval. Not that it would make a difference to her relationship with Callie, but when she said she wanted to go to Africa with happy thoughts, she meant it.  Should couldn’t do the work she’d need to do, if she were distracted more than she was already going to be, being away from her family. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I heard you call them your family?”

“I did.”

“Was that intentional?” he prodded. “For my benefit?”

“Yes. I want you to understand how much they mean to me.”

“It’s all so fast, Arizona,” he shook his head. “I know you love them. I can see that. But by the time you get home from Africa, you’ll have been away for longer than you’ve known them!”

“Time is just an illusion, Colonel. It’s a human construct designed to measure the passing of events. Time can’t quantify the depth of my feelings.”

The retired marine’s expression remained tight, “Arizona. Don’t give me that nonsense. The truth is, you barely know that woman.”

Arizona took a deep breath, she knew her father was going to push back at her relationship. He was overprotective, it was expected, but she’d hoped he come around quickly once he met them. Apparently he hadn’t, but that was okay. She would just have to try harder to convince him.

“Callie and I are connected by more than the amount of time we’ve been together. We share something amazing. I feel like I’ve known her forever. She’s what I’ve searching for my whole life, and I believe she’s been searching for me too. Our souls are connected,” she explained. “We are meant to be together. So, five months…. six months… it doesn’t matter. I love her. She loves me. None of the rest of it matters. We love each other, Daddy, and we are going to continue to love each other, even when we are apart.”

He grumbled a bit lightheartedly and his face softened at Arizona’s emphatic declaration. “What is all this soul mumbo jumbo? Has Seattle turned you into a hippy? You're not a vegetarian now are you?”

“Dad.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” he said. His love and sincerity come through. “A family is a big commitment. It's a huge investment for you heart.”

“It’s a long term investment, that I plan to collect dividends on for years to come. Besides, Callie would never hurt me,” she smiled. “We’re inevitable,” Arizona shrugged.

“How do you know?”

She bit her lip mischievously, “Would you buy that... a Genie told me?”

He looked more confused than ever.

Arizona laughed, and went over to him. She kissed him on the cheek, and patted his shoulder, “The universe has spoken, Colonel. You’d better join the ranks.”

He sighed heavily, “Who am I to argue with the universe?”

***

Callie couldn’t believe how nervous Arizona's parents made her. Barbara was chattering and commenting on everything. She seemed nice and receptive toward her and Arizona’s relationship, but Callie sensed an underlying hesitance from the overly chipper woman.

“Your house is lovely, Callie,” Barbara said. They’d made their way around the upstairs and were now back in the front room. “The neighborhood seems expensive. Your mortgage must be outrageous.”

Callie’s eyebrows rose at the rather financially intrusive question. “I… uh… um…,” she stammered a bit, unsure of what response the older woman was looking for.

“I mean, with the loss of your husband’s share of the income, you probably need help to keep up with it. To fill this empty space.”

“Mrs Robbins,” Callie started.

“Barbara,” the older woman corrected.

“Barbara, I can assure you this house is well within my means. I love your daughter,” Callie took a deep breath. “Yes, she has filled an empty space in my life... and in my heart. She’s here with me, with us, because I love her, not because I need her share of the rent.”

Arizona walked up behind Callie and wrapped her arms around her, “Momma, Callie’s also a surgeon, she’s not after my income. Her house is paid for, and I can certainly afford my share of the utilities. So take off your CPA hat and let’s not bother Callie about her finances, okay?”

“There is nothing wrong with being fiscally responsible, Arizona.”

“I know,” Arizona squeezed Callie to let her know she was teasing. “It’s why I picked her. Brains, beauty, and an extremely large pocket book.”

“How large?”

“Mom!”

Callie laughed, now that she knew Barbara’s concerns were financial ones, she relaxed. She knew that drill, her father had interrogated everyone she’d ever dated about their intentions, and likely would do the same to Arizona when they eventually got to meet. She’d been hoping that would happen before Arizona left, but as her Dad and Aria were still tied up working some financial deal overseas, it wasn’t to be. So that meeting would have to wait until Arizona’s return.

“Come on,” Arizona said. “Let’s go out to the yard and save Dad and Timothy from the kids.”

***

Arizona, Callie, and Timothy walked up to Joe’s bar for the ‘surprise’ farewell party Mark Sloan had planned for the departing pediatric surgeon. Callie had wisely warned her girlfriend in advance, and invited Tim along. The elder Robbinses had offered to stay at home with the kids.  Arizona had jumped at, but left Callie feeling slightly panicked. Although she trusted them with the kids, she knew that Allegra and the twins could be overwhelming at times. She wanted Barbara and the Colonel to see that Arizona belonged with them, not think she was taking on too much too soon.

“Okay,” Callie stopped them before they opened the door, “you have to act surprised. Mark is really excited about his. He thinks it’s a chief-y thing to do. He’s enjoying being interim chief a little too much.”

“He’s on borrowed time, Callie. Addison is coming in few weeks and he’ll be done for.”

“I know, I just... I feel bad for him.”

“Me too,” Arizona pulled Callie in for a quick hug, “so I’m going to go in there and act surprised.”

“Well, I just want a drink,” Timothy added. “So can we actually do the ‘going in’ part already?”

***

Arizona had acted suitably surprised and the party was now in full swing. Callie was introducing Tim to the various Seattle Grace doctors and they were currently in a rather animated conversation with Teddy Altman. Arizona figured with her military background they’d be a while, giving her the perfect opportunity to talk to Mark without Callie.

She pulled him aside, “Did you do what I asked?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s in the works, but it wasn’t easy,” he said. “She’d already found something else and my obvious charm didn’t work on her.”

“But you convinced her?”

“Of course I did.”

“I just want Callie to have a friend here while I’m away. Someone she can count on. Someone to have lunch with her everyday. Addison will be too busy, and I don’t want Callie to be lonely.”

“What am I? Chopped liver? I won’t let her get lonely.”

“No offense, Mark, but I mean someone other than you.”

“Fine,” Mark grumbled his acceptance, “But, for the record, I do take offense. I’m a good friend. I would do anything for the people I love. Hell, I offered to raise Addison’s baby even though it wasn’t mine. I’m a great friend.”

“Yeah, I know,” Arizona nodded, “That’s what I’m afraid of,” she added under her breath. She had no evidence from this universe to the to support her notion, but she couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit threatened by how close Callie and Mark had become.

Her knowledge of of the events in the other universe that resulted in the birth of Sofia--the child she still dreamed about--did nothing to dissipate her fears.

***

Daniel sat in the family room, trying to read on his Kindle, while Barbara was in the kitchen making cookies with the kids. He wasn’t used to being around small children, and he needed a break from the madness. When Arizona and Timothy were young his military career took him around the world. Barbara had stayed at home with them when they were young, allowing him the freedom to pursue the family tradition of serving the country, but he’d missed out on so much of their childhood. He had to admit, despite his absence, his children had grown up to be fine upstanding citizens. They were who they were raised to be: focused and driven, yet willing to serve others. They were both had kind and gentle souls who he still felt the need to protect. As a result, he couldn’t help but worry about Arizona taking on the burden of this instant family. He didn’t understand how she could be so invested so fast. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to get used to his baby raising another man’s family.

He looked up from his reading to find one of the boys in question standing by his chair, staring at him with big brown eyes and sucking on his pacifier.

“Can I help you, young man?” he wasn’t sure which twin it was, so he figured he’d steer clear of names.

The little boy just shook his head no.

“Where’s your siblings?”

He pulled the pacifier out of his mouth to ask, “What’s a sibwing?”

“Your brother and sister,” Daniel clarified.

“Oh,” the boy looked back toward the kitchen, “They makin’ cookies.”

“Shouldn’t you be in there helping?”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Well, what do you wanna do?”

The little blonde just shrugged in response, “What you doing?”

“I’m reading,” Daniel held up his Kindle. “It’s the latest Jack Reacher novel. It just came out.”

The boys scrunched his face and uttered a vague ‘what’ over his binky.

“Jack is a…,” the boy started to climb into Daniel’s lap, causing the man to pause for a moment, “Oh.. okay, you can sit here… uh which one are you?”

“Gavin,” he managed, again not removing the binky to answer. He made himself comfortable in the Colonel’s lap and looked up as if waiting for him to finish his explanation.

So he did. “Well, Gavin, Jack Reacher is a former Major in the United States Army Military Police Corps.”

At this answer, Gavin removed the pacifier to answer, “Awrmy? Like daddy?”

“Kind of,” Daniel answered. “But, from what I understand, your father was a surgeon in the Army. That’s a little different than what Jack Reacher did.”

“Okay,” Gavin replied. He pointed to the book as if to indicate he wanted the Colonel to read. He put his pacifier back in his mouth and settled in the crook of Daniel’s arm, his tiny blonde head resting comfortably on the man’s chest.

It took him a few seconds of searching, but Daniel found relatively innocuous part of the book. He cleared his throat and read the words aloud. He couldn’t help but smile at the intense look he received from the little boy in return. Maybe he could get used to the idea of this family after all.

***


	33. Chapter 33

Arizona loved waking up in Callie’s bed, no-- _their_ bed. She lived with Callie and the kids now, and it was everything she’d hoped it would be.

When the kids were there, the mornings were crazy--good crazy, but crazy none the less. The kind of crazy that made her life finally feel complete. Who knew how much she would love wiping sticky little fingers covered with jelly or syrup? Certainly not Arizona. She’d always thought she’d  have kids someday, but she never quite knew what all that would entail, or if she’d be able to handle it, much less thrive. So despite all the effort it took to get her and Callie and three kids ready, she loved those kids and she loved those mornings. Those mornings were amazing.

Mornings like this one, though, were equally amazing--lazy mornings with just her and Callie, snuggled warm and safe, and impossibly close together. She only had a few of these days left before she had to board that plane to Africa. She needed to take advantage of them while she could.

She loved waking in Callie’s arms, but being the big spoon had it’s advantages. She nuzzled her nose into the Callie’s dark locks and inhaled the other woman’s scent. God she was going to miss Callie’s smell. Maybe she should take some of her shampoo with her Africa and wash her pillow with it. Enough to last six months, not a day more. Now that she’d had a taste of this life, she wasn’t staying in Africa any longer, or going to New York, no matter what Carter Madison offered her.

Callie’s steady breathing signaled she was still in a deep slumber. Arizona slowly extricated her arm from under the sleeping brunettes, and brought it up to move those dark locks away from Callie’s glorious neck.

This was her favorite part of being the big spoon-- unfettered access to Callie’s neck. She started with soft kisses, almost delicate in nature. Callie sighed in her sleep, but didn’t wake. Arizona ran the tip of nose up her neck, trailing more and more insistent kisses as she went. When she reached the now stirring woman’s ear, she exhaled a searing, “wake up, Callie. I want you.”

Callie’s breath sped up and a shiver went down her spine, but she didn’t open her eyes, not yet… not until she felt Arizona’s tongue peek out and trace the very edge of her ear. Her eyes shot open when Arizona gave her ear a little nip. Callie sighed again, when and let her eyes go back closed when Arizona soothed the bite with her tongue.

Arizona shifted so she could get better access. She brushed her lips under Callie’s gorgeous jawline, and ran her hands over the expensive silk nightie that Callie slept in, pulling it up get access to the soft skin of Callie’s abdomen, causing the other woman to quiver and moan in pleasure. The blonde smiled, she’d finally gotten a response. She moved back to Callie’s ear and nibbled. “It’s about time,” she whispered, her hot breath again sending shivers down Callie’s spine.

Arizona went back to work, her warm mouth on Callie’s neck, while her fingers traced delicate patterns over Callie’s exposed stomach. She quivered in anticipation as Arizona’s hand dipped lower and lower.

“Let me love you, Calliope,” Arizona husked, “Can I love you?”

“Always,” Callie finally found her voice. She turned her head to meet Arizona’s waiting lips, “Always.”   

***

“Remind me to send Mark Sloan a thank you note,” Arizona said, her words heavy as she caught her breath. She was laying flat on her back. Her arms and legs felt like jelly.

Callie frowned from her spot on the bed next the recovering woman, “Um, Arizona? Why are you thanking Mark? I’m the one that almost made you pass out.”

Arizona chuckled, “You did almost make me pass out, thank you for that,” she rolled to face Callie and pressed a sloppy kiss to her pouty lips. “I want to thank him for rearranging the surgical schedule so you could take this week off. It’s been the best week of my life.”

“We’ve barely left the house, Arizona.”

“I know.”

“All we’ve done for days is have sex. Lots and lots of sex.”

“I know!” Arizona rolled herself completely on top of the other woman, her energy returning, “and it’s been awesome.”

“Awesome?” Callie raised an eyebrow.

“Totally,” kiss, “awesome.”

***

“You have to finish packing,” Callie sighed.

“Don’t wanna,” Arizona pouted. She was standing at the stove, still in her pajamas, making the them a late breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese, her breakfast specialty.  

“I don’t want you to either, but the reality of the situation is, you are leaving day after tomorrow and you’ve put off packing all week.”

Arizona pushed the scrambled eggs around in the pan, refusing to look up and acknowledge what Callie had said.

“And you need to get dressed. The kids will be here soon.”

That got Arizona’s attention. “Really?” She smiled, “I thought they weren’t coming until tonight when Owen got off work.”

“His mother is bringing them now,” Callie smiled sadly. She’d been barely holding it together this week. She knew Arizona didn’t need the distraction of her constant weeping, so she glued herself together every day and pushed through her feeling of impending dread.  “I… I know the plan was to spend tomorrow with them, but… I want you to myself tomorrow. I want you to say your goodbyes to them tonight, and we’ll take them back to Owen’s in the morning.”

“You’ve had me to yourself most of the week,” Arizona asked, not quite sure she understood Callie’s reasoning.

“I know, but…”

“Callie? What is it?”

“I’m going to be a weeping mess tomorrow night, Arizona, and… and we have to be up so early for your flight the next day. I don’t want to scare them. It’s going to be hard enough… I just…” Callie couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. “I’m going to miss you so much."

“God, Callie, me too,” Arizona turned off the stove and moved the eggs to another burner. She rounded the island and the other woman collapsed in her arms. “If this wasn’t something I had to do, you know I would never leave you.”

“I know,” Callie sobbed into Arizona’s shoulder. “And I know you have to do it. I know it’s important work… but I feel like we just found each other and… now…”

“Now,” Arizona pulled back so she could look into Callie’s eyes. “Now, we make it through these tough months and then I’m here. I living here with you and the kids, and I’m never leaving you again.”

***

“No!” Allegra shouted, she threw the plush elephant that Arizona had just given her on the floor and stomped off to her room.

Arizona made to follow, but Callie stopped her, “I’ll go… you give her a few minutes,” she tilted her head toward the two sets of identical brown eyes who were looking up at her in anticipation, “talk to them first.”

They’d just told the kids Arizona would be leaving after tomorrow, and though they’d always known it was coming, apparently Allegra wasn’t as ready as they thought. The boys still didn’t understand what was happening.

“Why’re you leaving, Nona?” asked Gavin.

“I don’t want you to,” whined Gus.

“Can we come sleep at your new house?” Gavin again.

“Like at Daddy’s?” Gus finished his brother’s thought.

“Um…,” Arizona was at loss. She knew this was going to be hard. “I don’t…”

“Up,” Gus held his arms up for Arizona to pick hold him. “Please?” Gavin was crowding her too, apparently needing to feel close. Of course she grabbed the boy up and squeezed him tight. She moved to sit on the couch so Gavin could climb up to.

“Can we come, Nona?” Gus asked again.

“No, buddy,” Arizona swallowed hard, “I’m going to be too far away. But we can talk on the phone and computer.”

“Like, Abuelo?”

“An’ Tia Aria?”

“Yes, just like that,” Arizona nodded, her heart breaking.

“Can you still read me Dinos G’night?” Gavin asked. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight was Gavin’s favorite book. He wanted it read to him every night before he would even consider going to sleep. They’d had to buy an extra copy for when the kids were with Owen, because one night it didn’t get remembered had been a disaster for everyone. Arizona made a mental note to pick up a copy to take with her to Africa, just in case they could work the time difference right and she could Skype him his bedtime story. “I’ll do everything in my power to do that for you, Gavin.”

The little boy smiled, “Okay,” he said, squirming to get down. He was satisfied.

Gus didn’t move from Arizona’s lap, his arms still around her neck, “Are you coming home?”

“I am, Gussy. I’m coming home. I promise.”

***

Callie stood outside of her daughter’s bedroom settling herself for the talk to come. When she’d asked Arizona to live there before leaving, she hadn’t considered how much harder it would be for the kids when she had to go. They’d fallen in love with her, just as she had. How could they not?

“Allie? Can I come in?” Callie wanted the young girl to feel she could have her privacy if she needed it. She understood that sometimes you just had to cry alone before you could face someone or something, and she would allow her daughter the opportunity if she needed it.

“Yes, you can come in, Mommy,” Allegra sniffled.

Callie went to the nightstand and grabbed a tissue and sat on the bed next to her daughter. She wiped her tears, and held the tissue to her nose for her to blow. When the sniffles were under control she smiled at the girl.

“Come here,” she held her arms open and Allegra immediately snuggled into her mother.

“Why does she have to go?”

“You know why, we told when she first moved here,” Callie smoothed her daughter’s hair down. “She’s going to save kids in Africa. They need her.”

“But we need her now, too.”

Callie’s throat tightened. She couldn’t argue with the girl’s logic. In the short time she’d lived there, Arizona had become essential to all of their lives.

“I know sweetie,” Callie fought her own tears.

“Everyone leaves,” Allegra cried. “Daddy left.”

“Yes, sweetie, but you see Daddy all the time,” Callie countered. “He takes you with him to Nana’s….”

“Because he has to!” Allegra shouted, “He’s my Daddy! He has to see me, take me...”

Arizona stepped into the room. Callie saw her, but Allegra was crying too hard.

“What if Arizona decides she likes it better there? What if she doesn’t come back to us. Then I will never see her again!”

The two women locked eyes, both realizing at the same time what Allegra was trying to articulate. The young girl instinctively knew that she would always have a connection to her father, because he was her father, but Arizona didn’t have that familial tie and that scared Allegra, and if Arizona was being honest with herself it scared her too. Loving Callie and the kids was both the easiest and hardest thing she’s ever done. She wanted that connection too, that feeling of permanence, immutability-- she needed it more than she cared to admit.

She cleared her throat to get Allegra’s attention, “Hey there, Sweet Pea,” Arizon sat on the bed opposite Callie. She patted her legs for Allegra to climb onto her lap. The young girl immediately complied, wanting the closeness as much as Arizona. “That’s not going to happen. There is no way I would ever like it there better than here. Do you know why?”

“Why?” Allegra sniffled.

“Because you aren’t there…,” Arizona paused a moment to compose herself enough to speak. She took a deep breath and continued, “You, or your brothers… or your Mommy. And I already know that I can’t live without you. All of you. So you don’t have to worry. I promise.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Of course,” Arizona held her pinky finger up for the young girl to wrap hers around. The little fingers of each securely entwined, Arizona and Allegra smiled and said in unison.

“Pinky promise.”

“Alright, now,” Arizona wanted to lighten the mood for everyone, “I have a very serious question for you, young lady.” She tweaked Allegra’s tiny nose with her finger.

“Okay...” Allegra expression became resolved in an effort to match the pending seriousness of Arizona’s question.

“What kind of condiments do cows like on their hot dogs?”

“What?” Allegra looked to her mom confused.

“Moooostard,” Arizona blurted, both her eyes and smile wide.

Allegra scrunched her face up and Callie shook her head, “Oh, Arizona, no.”

“What? That joke killed with the boys! They laughed so hard I was considering changing my job to professional maker-of-silly-jokes.”

Allegra finally giggled and hugged the blonde, “I’m going to miss you.”

Arizona squeezed her back, “Me too. So much. So, so much.”

***

Arizona woke suddenly, bolting upright in bed, her heart racing. She’d tossed and turned most of the night, unable to sleep. Just when she finally found some peace _that dream_ invaded slumber again. She looked over at the clock. It was only 4:00 AM. The alarm was set to go off in an hour. She sighed, laid back down and snuggled into Callie. She had one hour, and she planned to hold the other woman the entire time.

“Are you okay?” Callie whispered. Her own sleep had been sporadic and restless.

“No,” Arizona answered honestly, “I’m not okay. I’m leaving.”

***

Arizona hated flying, Unfortunately she was in for many, many hours in the air. She was taking a direct flight from Seattle to Kennedy where she was meeting with Alex Karev, who had gone home last week to visit with his family. From there they would both fly to Johannesburg, almost 24 hours total travel time, including the New York layover. After arriving in Johannesburg, they would spend the night, then catch another flight to Lilongwe. The last leg of their journey would be a three hour drive by automobile to the clinic.  

The two women walked through the airport, hand in hand, toward Arizona’s gate. Arizona had been unable to say goodbye before security, so Callie had bought a ticket and gone through security with the nervous blonde. Arizona was touched by this gesture. She would never have made it this far if not for Callie’s soft, warm hand holding onto hers.

She hated the idea of leaving Callie and the kids behind; leaving and flying halfway across the world. She couldn’t help but question her decision. What if Callie got a taste of freedom and enjoyed it? What if… what if they’d moved too fast? Callie’s divorce wasn’t even final, and wouldn’t be for another few weeks. Callie was Catholic. What if she is overcome with guilt and can’t bring herself to sign the divorce papers?

Allegra was right. Arizona had no claim over any of them. She could be walking away right and never see them again. Why had she said she’d do this? This was the most insane thing she’d ever agreed to. Flying to Africa? Away from Callie? What was she thinking?

Suddenly, it felt as though she were walking through quicksand. Every step felt as though she sunk further and further down. Every movement became harder and harder to make.

She looked down at her feet to make sure they were still working properly, and it seemed like they were, but she couldn’t be sure, because now she felt like she was going to pass out.

She glanced at Callie, who was obviously trying to keep a brave face for her benefit. Callie’s lips were moving, but Arizona couldn’t hear her over her own panic. Now, Callie was looking at her like she wanted a response.

“What?” Arizona eventually managed.

“I said ‘they say absence makes the sex grow hotter,’ but you look like you are going to pass out. Arizona? Are you okay?”

“I don’t think I can do this,” Arizona stopped walking. She couldn’t take another step.

“You can,” Callie assured her.

“You want me to?”

“I think you need to. For you. What I want doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter! Your opinion matters!” Arizona’s voice raised, drawing the attention of several passersby.

“Of course it matters,” Callie insisted. Her voice lower than the panicking blonde’s, “ I didn’t mean anything by that. Just… You made a commitment, Arizona, and I don’t think you are the type of person to back out on something like that.”

Arizona’s brow furrowed, “You’re right. You’re definitely right about that. I made a commitment. I… I’m a good man in a storm. You’re right, I can’t just let those kids in Africa down, leave them with a failing clinic. But I don’t want to leave you either.”

“You aren’t. You’ll come back to me,” Callie wiped the errant tear from the other woman’s cheek. “The kids and I will be waiting.”

“They’ll be so different when I get back,” Arizona’s face twisted as she tried to hold back tears.

“Oh, sweetie,” Callie pulled her into a hug, “Not that different. You’ll only be gone six months.”

“Allegra will be in kindergarten!” Arizona wept into Callie’s shoulder, “and… and they boys… what if they forget me?”

“They won’t,” Callie soothed the other woman. She held her tight and let her sob her despair, not caring about the looks they were receiving. After a few moments, Arizona’s sobs diminished and her breathing became less erratic.

The loudspeaker interrupted Arizona’s newly achieved calm, “Sweetie? They just called for your flight to board. We need to get to your gate.”

“Okay, okay,” Arizona nodded. “Let’s uh… let’s go.”

They made their way to Arizona’s gate, neither speaking the rest of the way. Callie could tell that Arizona’s mind was occupied. She wanted more than anything to beg the other woman to stay, but she knew she couldn’t. That Arizona had to do this or she would forever be wondering ‘what if?’, and Callie didn’t want that hanging over their future. A future she knew was theirs for the taking. All they had to do was make it six months.

The line to board was long, so Arizona took a moment to compose herself.

Callie was right, she had to do this. She’d made a commitment and she wasn’t one to go back on her word. She knew she could go to Africa, run that clinic, and run it well. That wasn’t a question. That wasn’t what had her feeling so unsettled. She was unsettled by her lack of commitment to Callie. She knew in her heart she was committed, and she believed that Callie felt the same way. But she wanted more. She wanted something tangible. She wanted marriage and… a family.

“Callie?”

“Hmm?” Callie was watching as the line to board the plane got shorter and shorter, which meant their final goodbye was coming closer and closer.

“Let’s have a baby.”

“What?” Callie barked out a wry laugh, and turned to looked at, Arizona, who wasn’t laughing with her.

“I said… let’s have a baby,” Arizona licked her lips.

“Wait… you’re serious?” Callie’s face fell.

“You see, I keep dreaming about this baby. _Our baby_ … and I don’t want to wait. When I get back from Africa... let’s have a baby. You and me.”

Callie shook her head. This… this wasn’t part of her plan.

“Arizona, I have kids,” she sighed. “ _Three kids._ I don’t… I don’t want anymore.”

Arizona looked shocked, she hadn’t expect that Callie wouldn’t want to have a child with her. It’d never crossed her mind.

_“Final boarding call for flight 314 to JFK International Airport.”_

“Callie?” Arizona sounded suddenly desperate. She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“I _finally_ like my life. I like the way it is, and I don’t want it to change,” Callie said. “I just… I just got my life in order. I’m happy. I don’t need more.”

“But,” Arizona swallowed. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe it was all a mistake. “I do.”

_“Last call for flight 314 to JFK International Airport.”_

Arizona looked around the terminal, she knew she had to go, they were waiting. The attendant kept looking at her. The doors were about to shut.

“This is wrong, Callie. This feels wrong. Maybe this was all a big mistake.”

“What was, Arizona? You are scaring me!”

“I’ve gotta go.”

“No,” Callie shouted. “Do not walk away from me. Tell me what you mean. What’s a mistake?”

“I thought I knew where we were going…”

“Arizona, this is silly! We are still going. We are...”

“No, don’t say it… I’ve gotta go. You, uh, you take care of yourself. Give the kids a kiss for me. Tell them I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Sorry for what?”

“Miss? If you don't’ get on this plane right now, it’s going without you,” the testy airline worker insisted.

“Goodbye, Callie.”

Arizona turned and handed the attendant her ticket. They stamped it quickly and she walked up the ramp and out of Callie’s sight.

Callie couldn’t follow.

“What the hell just happened?” Callie exhaled.

***

Four days. That’s how long it had been since Callie had heard from Arizona. Even then, it wasn’t Arizona who’d texted her. Alex sent one from New York stating they were about to board their flight to Johannesburg and that Arizona was fine but ‘needed a minute’. And that was it. Nothing since.

Callie had been texting and calling Arizona’s phone constantly, but ever since the first day it had gone straight to voicemail.

She’d been a mess all week. Not knowing what was going on was killing her. She needed a distraction, something to take her mind of how it went so wrong so quickly. As a result, she found herself at Joe’s on Friday night with Mark Sloan, Mandy Bailey, and Teddy Altman. She was going to get drunk and nothing was going to stop her.

“I mean…,” she slurred, “I don’t even know if we are still together? I think she broke up with me.”

“No way,” Mark took another shot. “She loves you too much.”

“Tell us again what happened?” Teddy took a sip of her drink.

“She said she wanted to have a baby… and my dumb ass just said ‘NO!’ and like shut her down.”

“But… do you want another baby?” Mandy asked.

“I have three already!”

“Then you did the right thing by telling her no,” Mark replied. “You don’t want to give her false hope.”

“I could have been a little nicer,” Callie mumbled. “I didn’t have shut her down like that. I mean… why does she want a baby anyway? Aren’t mine good enough?”

“I’m sure that’s not the reason,” Teddy defended her sort of friend.

“Where are your kids anyway?” Mandy asked. “I’ve been back a week and I haven’t had a chance to say hi.”

“Owen’s aunt is visiting. She took them all out to dinner tonight,” Callie took another gulp of the blue mystery drink that Mandy had suggested.

“You are really going to be feeling that in the morning,” Teddy sympathized.

“I’m getting drunk with purpose, Teddy,” Callie proclaimed. “I’m sad.... and mad… and confused about where my relationship stands. I deserve to get drunk on…” she held up the drink and squinted at it, trying to figure out it’s contents. “What’s in this, Mandy?.”

“Don’t ask. It’s popular at that stupid hospital in Tacoma,” Mandy replied. “I hated that place. That’s why I’m drinking--to celebrate my triumphant return. Thanks to the death of the Wicked Witch of the West and your maybe still girlfriend, maybe not, I’ve got my job back at Seattle Grace.”

“Um, I gave you your job back,” Mark interrupted. “I’m the interim chief. Me, not her. Arizona just suggested it.”

“Whatever,” Bailey waved him off, “you didn’t even know who I was.”

“Don’t say that name anymore, Mark,” Callie whined. “I can’t hear it anymore right now.”

“Fine,” he called the waiter over and ordered another round.

“I miss her,” Callie sighed.

Teddy smiled, “I’m sure you guys aren’t broken up, Callie.”

“Then why hasn’t she called me?”

“Alright, I’m tired of talking about Ariz…Uh…  Blondie now, too,” Mark said. “She a nice girl, but if she dumped you in an airport you should forget about her. Move on.”

“Like you have from Addison?” Callie countered.

“Okay, wow, Cal,” Mark’s delicate feelings were hurt, “That’s a low blow.”

“You are a good looking guy, Mark,” Teddy said, “You shouldn’t have trouble finding someone.”

“You interested?” he asked.

“Not in a million,” Teddy replied. “I’m just saying, you shouldn’t be pining.”

“Especially over a woman who was married to your best friend but had another man’s baby that you offered to raise as your own. But she said no because she liked her one-night-stand better than you. I mean, why would you want her?” Callie’s face scrunched, she leaned over to Teddy and whispered “It’s okay for me to say that about her. I’m her best friend.”

“You need to move on, Sloan,” Teddy said.

“Oh! I know what you need!” Callie poked him in his bicep. “A sexual palate cleanser.”

“A palate cleanser?” Teddy asked. She looked to Bailey for clarification.

“A sexual sorbet? Ha ha ha! I love it!” Bailey laughed.

Callie grabbed Mark by the arm and pointed toward the bar. “See that redhead? She’s been staring at you all night. You should man up and uh… get on that.”

“You know what? I think I will,” Mark stood from their table, loosened his tie, put on his most charming smile, and made his way over to the bar.

The three drunk women watched as Mark chatted with the redhead. He looked over to the table and made eye contact with Callie, who gave him a thumbs up. He looked back to the woman at the bar and shook his head. He smiled, excusing himself. He motioned for the bartender to put the woman’s drink on his tab, then made his way back to the table.

“What happened,” Bailey asked.

“She wasn’t interested,” Mark replied. Looking at everyone, but Callie.

“Weren’t you man enough for her?” Callie joked. Grabbing his arm again and making him look at her.

“Apparently, I was too much man for her,” he sighed. “She wanted your number.”

“What?”

“Oh, plot twist,” Teddy chuckled.

“Maybe _you_ should go get _your_ sorbet,” Mark suggested. He leaned back in his chair, feeling smug at how the tables had turned.

“What?” Callie swallowed hard. “No… no. I would never… I have Arizona…”

“Who dumped you in an airport and hasn’t answered any of your calls for a week,” he reminded.

Callie turned and looked at the bar, the redhead smiled and gave a flirty wave.

Callie smiled back at the woman, then turned to her tablemates. Mandy was looking at her with interest, both eyebrows raised in question. Teddy was frowning, with an almost imperceptible shake of her head in the negative. Mark just shrugged.

Callie looked back toward the bar and the waiting redhead, “I need another drink.”

***

Callie could feel herself being pulled from her slumber. She’d yet to open her eyes, afraid the light would kickstart her impending headache. Drinking always gave her a headache, and last night she drank a lot. In fact, she didn’t remember leaving the bar or how had she gotten home.

She chanced peeking an eye open. The sun was bright which caused her to have trouble focusing at first. She blinked a few times, then brought her hand up to gently rub her eyes. That’s when she noticed the sheets. They were unfamiliar sheets. In an unfamiliar bed.

Along with the strange sheets and bed, she noticed something else. She wasn’t alone. There was someone in the bed with her. Right behind her.

She felt the mattress dip as the person shifted toward her.

Oh, god.

She was starting to panic. She opened her eyes fully and lifted the sheets enough to peer under because she suspected... Yep. She was naked.

Naked and not alone.

Oh. God.

What had she done?

***

 


	34. Chapter 34

Callie closed her eyes tightly and sent up a silent prayer, desperately hoping that she hadn't just made the stupidest mistake of her life. After a tense few seconds of internal self-flagellation, she decided she needed to rip off the bandaid and face the consequences. She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest to keep herself covered, and turned to her mystery bedmate all in one motion. What she saw made her gasp. "Oh my god! What the hell was in that drink?"

How long had she been out?

It was Arizona that was soundly sleeping next to her, causing an audible sigh of relief to burst from Callie’s mouth. She had no idea where they were, nor how or why they were there, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered, but sound of Arizona’s soft snores. It was the most beautiful thing Callie had heard in days. The corners of her mouth turned up joyfully as she gave the figure in bed next to her a once-over. Arizona had come home to her.

After getting her fill of the beautiful woman in bed with her, she allowed her gaze to move around the room. Her eyes went wide as a new realization dawned on her. She moved her hand to the scar on her chest for confirmation-- she didn’t need it though, she now knew where she was. Her smiled faded. In a matter of moments she felt a wild range of emotions: confusion over where she and Arizona stood, terror that she’d cheated, ecstatic that her girfriend had returned to her, then, again, confusion. Because as happy as she was that she was in bed with Arizona and no one else, the truth of the matter was this wasn’t her Arizona.

Callie had shifted, and now Genie was going to kill her.

“Um, Arizona?” she whispered, knowing it was going to take more to wake the sleeping blonde.

Callie wasn’t sure she was ready to wake her. She both excited and nervous. She hadn’t seen this Arizona since they had last broken the laws of the Universe together, changed the future, and destroyed a timeline in which the plane had crashed. She really wanted to know what had happened in this place since Arizona’s return. Had Lexie still died, like she had in Callie’s reality? What about Mark? Callie assumed that he was fine, since her Mark was still alive and kicking after two months. Genie said their fates weren’t necessarily tied, but some persistent feeling inside of Callie told her otherwise.

Callie lightly tapped Arizona’s shoulder to little avail. The blonde merely crinkled her nose cutely and continued to sleep. Deciding she should get dressed before she tried to wake Arizona, Callie slid out from between the sheets and found her discarded nightgown and panties on the floor. She wasn’t sure of the etiquette with regards to the other Arizona seeing her naked. Technically the body she was currently occupying was married to the sleeping woman, and obviously the two had done more than sleep the night before, but she was still her and she belonged to the Arizona that was currently in Africa. So covering herself was the only option.

She went into the ensuite bathroom to relieve herself and brush her teeth. She briefly hoped she chose the right toothbrush, then laughed at herself at the absurdity of it all. This wasn’t even her body, yet she was worried about accidentally using Arizona’s toothbrush. It’s not like this mouth hadn’t been all over Arizona before. Many times and in intimate places. God, just thinking about it… now she missed her girlfriend even more. Callie physically shuddered at the confusion of it all.

She spied her robe on the back of the bathroom door, so she grabbed it and put it on, another layer protection.

She went went back into the bedroom determined to wake the still soundly sleeping woman. In her absence, Arizona had shifted to her side of the bed, most likely in a subconscious attempt to get closer to Callie’s missing warmth.

“Arizona,” Callie tried again to verbally wake the woman. She was a little louder this time, but still nervous. Why was she so nervous?

When calling out didn’t work Callie climbed back onto the bed and gently shook the other woman awake.

Arizona’s eyes blinked open slowly. She brought her hand up and rubbed at the sleep, obviously trying to bring herself to full consciousness. When she was clear and focused, her gazed shifted to Callie. At first her eyes sparkled with delight, then something took over. Something resembling fear and confusion.

“Callie?” Arizona looked around frantically trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

“Yes, but I’m not the…”

The confused blonde paid no attention to what Callie was saying, as she was still in a state of shock. She tried to get up from the bed too quickly and became entangled in the sheets, and before Callie could even finish her sentence, Arizona had fallen off the side of the bed and onto the floor.

She lay there in a heap, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Callie’s beautiful face appeared over the side of the bed and looked down at her.

“Are you okay?”

“No… I don’t think I am.”

“Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?”

“Maybe…?”

“Arizona…”

“Callie,” Arizona’s eyes flicked from the ceiling to the brown eyes that were staring back at her with such concern. She licked her lips and steeled herself to ask, “Where the fuck am I?”

“Oh,” her forehead creased with confusion, “Um.... your bedroom?”

“No, no…,” Arizona shook her head. She was still laying on her back, “my room doesn’t have a bed this nice… or these sheets, or… you.”

“Wait…” Callie’s heart rate increased, as a flush arose on her face. “It’s… It’s you.”

Arizona was still rambling, trying to figure out how she ended up in bed with Callie when the last thing she remembered was saying goodnight to Alex in Malawi and then falling asleep alone.

“I got all of my vaccinations, and I’m taking my antimalarial drugs, so I know it’s not… plus, nothing’s bitten me… I haven’t even been outside really… no time…”

“Arizona!” Callie smiled at her. “Get up off the floor and kiss me.”

“Callie, I don’t understand.”

“You’ve… _shifted_ … and so have I,” Callie explained. “It’s me and you... and we are both in the alternate universe.”

“Oh my god.”

***

“It’s really you?” Arizona wrapped the sheets around her naked body and took Callie’s hand, who’d reached out to help her up off of the floor.

“It’s me, it’s definitely me.”

“And we are…?”

“Um, in _their_ bedroom.”

Arizona, now standing looked around to get a feel for her surroundings. She looked back at Callie and smiled, “Oh god, I’ve missed you!” She climbed onto the bed attacked the other woman with her mouth. Kissing her with everything she had.

Callie had so many questions about the airport fight. Why she hadn’t heard from Arizona all week? Had they, in fact, broken up? But they all flew from her brain as she melted into the other woman’s embrace. Who cared where they were in that place, here they were together and none of the rest of it mattered.

Arizona’s hands found their way into her hair, and she pulled back long enough to say, “It’s shorter. I like it,” before diving back in and once again devouring Callie’s lips.  

Callie grasped at Arizona’s waist, her hands pulling at the sheets wrapped around her girlfriend. She used one hand to pull them down, while the other moved slowly up until she made contact with Arizona’s naked breast.

Arizona moaned at the other woman’s touch, but Callie froze. She stopped kissing Arizona and pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” the blonde leaned in trying to recapture Callie’s lips.

“We can’t do this,” Callie moved her head back further away from Arizona’s persistent lips, her hand, however, remained covering the blonde’s perfectly shaped breast.

“Why?”

“It feels wrong somehow,” Callie replied.

Arizona reached up and put her hand overtop of the one Callie had covering her breast, “My boob feels wrong?”

“No… no, it’s perfect, as always,” Callie sighed. “But... you are you and I am me, but we are in their bodies… and sure… these bodies are married to each other, but I feel like there is some consent issues that we should take into consideration.”

“Oh,” Arizona grimaced, “oh…,” her eyes widened. “Callie! Oh my god, this is weird!”

“I know!”

“Get your hand of my… her boob!”

Callie removed her hand from it’s soft resting place, “Sorry,” the side of her mouth quirked up.

Arizona pulled the sheets up and wrapped them tighter around herself, her expression managed to simultaneously convey jealousy mixed with arousal and amused confusion.

Callie smirked, barely able to contain the laughter that was bubbling at Arizona’s indignation.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“I am,” Callie brushed some of Arizona’s blonde locks aside. “You look…”

“Amusing, apparently.”

“Beautiful,” Callie corrected. “I missed you.”

“She’s beautiful or I’m beautiful?”

“I only see you.”

***

“This is so confusing,” Arizona said. They were both still sitting on the bed, facing each other.

“It is,” Callie agreed.

“How did we get here?”

“I guess I, well, uh… I guess my subconscious missed you, because I didn’t shift us intentionally,” Callie said. Her expression closed up, “You haven’t called me in a week, Arizona.” She had to bite her quivering lip, to get out her next statement. “I thought you left me.”

“I know, and I’m sorry I was just so…,” Arizona bit her lip, and repeated. “I was just so sad, Callie. I was in shock. On the plane to New York all I could think was ‘why’” Her intense gaze was locked with Callie’s, “You love kids, why wouldn’t you want one with me? What was it about me that made me not… worthy.”

“Arizona, no.. That’s not what...”

“Callie, please. I’m trying to explain to you…. Let me.”

“Okay, I’m sorry,” Callie said. Her throat tightened and her eyes swam with tears at the realization that Arizona felt unworthy. She cleared her throat, “you talk, I’ll listen.”

“I sat on the plane and drank those little bottles of liquor, you know the ones?” Callie nodded, not speaking, Arizona wasn’t looking for an answer anyway, as she immediately continued,  “And I just went down this rabbit hole. I thought… what if we moved too fast? I mean, it’s only been a few months, Callie, and I can’t….,” she shook her head, “I was so mad and afraid. I thought, maybe me leaving now was what was meant to be. Maybe it was a sign from the universe that we weren’t actually meant to be together. I was all twisted up with fear, and rejection… so by the time I’d gotten to New York... I was mad. Really mad… and a little drunk.”

Callie couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, she knew how much liquor the blonde could hold, and if she was drinking all the way to New York…..

The corner of Arizona's mouth quirked up and she admitted, “Okay, a lot drunk.”

Callie remained silent, but she did reach out and take Arizona's soft hand in her own. Arizona smiled at the gesture; they both needed the comfort.

Arizona kept her eyes on their entwined fingers,“Thankfully, Alex was early and waiting for me,” she looked up through her lashes as if embarrassed, “I passed out in the First Class Lounge and then… puked during takeoff.”

“Oh, Arizona,” Callie’s hand gently cupped the woman’s face. “I’m so sorry.”

Arizona leaned into the comfort of Callie’s hand. She turned her head and kissed her palm, before bringing the hand back down to hold onto in her lap. “I was sick for most of the flight and travel time to the clinic. Then, after we finally made it to the clinic, there was a hyena attack at the local village. We were in surgery almost non-stop for thirty-six hours. I wanted to call you, but there was no time. And.. and I didn’t want to call you from the clinic. I wanted to talk to you for real… not on work phones. Things are different there, Callie. Not as safe for… us. I needed the privacy of my room, but the cell service at our apartment was nil. Alex and I are… were... driving in to Lilongwe today to get new phones. I was going to call you tonight. To tell you…” she took a deep breath, “I wanted to tell you, that I love you. That no matter what... I love you.”

Callie exhaled, her relief visible, “I love you, too.”

***

Callie scrolled through the calendar on the tablet she found on the nightstand, while Arizona was in the bathroom getting dressed. She came out, looking adorable in a t-shirt and yoga pants, ready for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

“Are you sure we are off? We aren’t going to get them fired, are we?”

Callie held the tablet up. “According to this, no hospital today or tomorrow. But look at this,” as Arizona came up beside her, she pointed to schedule. “We have appointments with lawyers several times this week. I wonder what that’s about?”

Arizona took the tablet from Callie, “One is with a Family Lawyer and the other is an Estate and Trust,” she handed the tablet back to the brunette, and shrugged, “maybe they are just getting their ducks in a row after the almost plane crash.”

“Maybe,” Callie felt the same sense of dread she’d often felt when thinking about the averted plane crash. She took a deep breath, and shook it off. That was two months ago. The effects of that should have all passed by now, right?

“Why don’t you get dressed, and I’ll go out and make us some coffee. See if there are any donuts,” Arizona suggested. “We still need to talk. Might as well take advantage of our actual face time, as opposed to, you know, Facetime,” her dimples popped hoping to get a smile back, but it wasn't forthcoming.

Callie, still distracted by her thoughts of doom, solemnly agreed, “Okay.”

“Hey,” Arizona tilted her head. “We’re good, Callie. I promise,” she said, thinking Callie’s sudden melancholy was owed to their pending conversation about a baby.

“I know. I’m sorry, just… go fix us some coffee,” her smile was tight, “I’ll be right out.”

Arizona narrowed her eyes at Callie, but ultimately acquiesced. If Callie needed a minute, she’d give it to her.

***

Callie took her time rummaging through the her counterpart’s closet. She’d managed to tamp down her sudden gloominess over the plane crash aftermath, and was now worrying about finding something fitting for a conversation about having children.

She wasn’t completely closed off to the idea, she just needed to be sure that Arizona wanted a baby for the right reasons. They didn’t need something to hold them together. She and Owen had tried that with the boys, and it had failed miserably. If she were going to have another child, and she had to admit the idea of having a child with Arizona did make her heart flutter, she wanted the decision to be made with nothing but love and joy in their hearts.

She found a pair of jeans, and loose black v-neck t-shirt and quickly dressed. Arizona was waiting.

***

Callie followed the smell of brewing coffee into the kitchen, but Arizona was nowhere to be found.

“Arizona?” she called out.

“In here!” came the response from the other bedroom in the apartment.

Callie’s heart jumped again. She knew that room. That was Sofia’s room. She moved quickly to the doorway, knowing what she would find.

“Look what I found, Calliope,” Arizona said. She held the smiling baby in her arms, tears of joy in her eyes.  “It’s their daughter, and she...”

Callie took a sharp breath at the sight, a lump forming in her throat.

“She called me Momma.”


	35. Chapter 35

_ “Look what I found, Calliope,” Arizona said. She held the smiling baby in her arms, tears of joy in her eyes.  “It’s their daughter, and she...”  _

_ Callie took a sharp breath at the sight, a lump forming in her throat.  _

_ “She called me Momma.” _

***

Sofia. The name spelled out on the wall behind them framed the mother and daughter in a image that Callie desperately tried to burn into her memory.

Callie had experienced several life altering moments over the course of her life. Many of them over the past year, but none them compared to this moment. 

Watching Arizona fall in love with her children and vice versa had been amazing, but this… this was different. This was  _ their _ child. A child born of their love. Screw the circumstances of conception and that fact that is was their alternates selves. Callie didn’t care. Arizona was this child’s mother. This baby, who was kicking her tiny feet in excitement and grabbing at dimpled cheeks, loved Arizona. It was obvious to Callie they shared a bond that only a mother and daughter could.

Tears filled Callie’s eyes to match the one in her partner’s.

“Callie,” Arizona managed to speak over her joy, “She thinks I’m her mother!”

Callie nodded in response, tilting her head to the side she said, “You are.”

Arizona sighed as she hugged the baby tight to her body, “But I’m not. Not really.”

“To her you are,” Callie smiled. “Right now, in this moment, you are her mother.”

Arizona smiled in return, “I am, aren’t I…”

“You are,” Callie swallowed the lump. “And um… as her mother, you should change her diaper. I can smell her from here.”

“What?” Arizona lifted Sofia higher and gave her a sniff. Her face twisting in mild disgust. “Oh no, Little Miss, you stink.”

I’ll go get breakfast started while you get on… that mess,” Callie waved her hand in the direction of Sofia’s bottom.

Arizona looked momentarily terrified at the prospect of changing a dirty diaper. She’d done it before, obviously; she wasn’t helpless. But this was somehow different. This wasn’t some patient, this was literally the baby of her dreams.

Callie saw her moment of panic and quickly came over to kiss the baby on the cheek and the blonde on the lips. “You’ll be fine,” she reassured, “she won’t break.” And just like that, Callie left the room.

“Looks like it’s just us, huh?”

“Momma!”

“That’s right,” Arizona agreed. “I’m your Momma!.”

***

It took Callie a few minutes to locate what she needed, but she managed to get a decent breakfast started for the three of them. 

After a few minutes Arizona and Sofia emerged from child’s bedroom. She was immensely grateful to see that Callie had her coffee ready and waiting. After getting the baby settled in the high chair, she grabbed the coffee and took a long pull.

“Oh god, I’ve missed your coffee,” Arizona moaned. “You know how I like it better than I do now. Always the perfect amount of sugar.”

“Is that all you’ve missed?”

“Not by any means,” Arizona grinned. “I miss the way you…,” she licked the sweet coffee off of her lips, and moved around the kitchen island and took Callie in her arms. She tilted her head and laid the sweetest of kisses and Callie’s waiting lips.

“Mmm,” Callie hummed, “the perfect amount of sugar.” She pulled Arizona back to her for another longer kiss.

Before the kiss got too intense, though, they were interrupted by the banging of a plastic safety spoon.

“Momma!”

Arizona pulled back, “I guess her hungry little tummy should take priority over kisses.” She moved toward the fussing baby.

“Absolutely,” Callie agreed. “And uh… you’d better get used to that.”

Arizona’s head whipped around and she stared at Callie for a few long seconds before responding, “Yeah?”

“Yeah, Arizona,” Callie smiled. “If we are going to have a baby I can guarantee every kiss will come with potential interruptions.”

Arizona licked her lips and smiled. “I can deal if you can deal.”

“I can’t think of another person, in this universe or any other, who I’d rather be potentially kissless with.”

“Callie…” Arizona was ecstatic, but she knew they still needed to talk about his.

“Momma! Momma!”

Callie handed Arizona a small bowl of oatmeal, “Feed your child. Then we’ll talk.”

***

Sofia finished her oatmeal quickly. She was sitting in her highchair playing with her spoon and sucking on the bottle that Callie gave her when she finished eating. Her large brown eyes never left her two mothers’ as their discussion turned to having a child of their own.

Once Arizona had convinced her that she wasn’t proposing a band aid baby, a baby to secure their bond because of some insecurity, that she truly wanted to have a child, a child  _ with _ her, Callie saw no reason to put it off. As Arizona took the last bite of her pancake, Callie broached the subject of the timetable.

“We could look for a donor while you are in Africa. Have all of that done and taken care of, that way... when you get home… we could immediately start trying to knock you up.” Callie quickly added, “I know it’s fast, and it was only a week ago that I said no, but we aren’t getting any younger...”

Arizona held up her hand for Callie wait. She wanted to interject, but her mouth was still full. She finished her bite, then picked up the napkin and wiped the syrup from her lips. 

“It’s definitely fast, but not too fast. And I understand now why you were reluctant. I just sprung it on you in an airport out of the blue. I didn’t give you time to process, hell… I hadn’t even processed it. But it feels right, Callie. It’s fast, but it’s right. I don’t know how or why, but I really need this. I  _ want _ this, with you,” Arizona reached over and grabbed Callie’s hand. She wasn’t sure how the brunette was going to take here next statement. “I uh… I want our child to be related, though. Blood related. To Allie and the boys.”

“Oh,” Callie’s brow furrowed. 

Arizona could almost see the wheels turning in Callie’s head; she just hoped Callie landed on the right conclusion.

“Arizona… Uh… I don’t think using Owen as a donor is a good idea. It would be too confusing for him and… I just… I don’t like the idea of him being involved.”

So much for Callie assuming correctly, Arizona thought. “No, you don’t understand. I want  _ you _ to have the baby. I want this baby to be part you. Every time I look at Allegra and the boys, I see you. And when I look at this precious baby, I see you,” she turned to Sofia, who pointed her spoon back at her, causing Arizona to smile. “I want to look at our baby and see you too. I know it’s asking a lot, because you’ve already carried three, but… Can you do that for me? Can you carry our baby?”

“Arizona,” Callie closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m so sorry, but… I can’t.”

Arizona’s smiled dropped and her gaze left the giggling baby and turned to Callie. “You can’t?”

“No,” Callie whispered. “When I had the boys. I knew…,” she sighed, “I didn’t want anymore kids with Owen. So, I um... I got a tubal. I can’t get pregnant.”

“Well, crap.”

***

“Arizona,” Callie tried the console the dejected blonde. “It’s not the end of the world. You can still carry a baby… can’t you?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I can… but I wanted to have  _ your _ baby.”

“But your babies would be so cute!”

“Obviously,” Arizona cracked a tentative smile. “But, I want yours.”

“Well, it’s a bigger process, but if you are sure… I guess we could harvest my eggs for in vitro. Then either of us could carry, but… I’d rather it be you.” 

Arizona silently mulled over the idea for a few seconds, her expression going from contemplative to enthusiastic. She thought of Callie carrying and how wonderful that would be, but then the idea of growing and nurturing Callie’s child inside of her womb to over and everything seemed to fall into place.

“Callie!”

“What?”

“I want to have your baby!”

***

Breakfast dishes done, they moved to the living room so Sofia could play. The two women sat on the couch while Sofia crawled around and played at their feet.

Sofia reached up for Arizona’s knee, so the giddy blonde reached down to help her pull herself up.

“Callie, did you see that?” Arizona gushed. “Do you think that’s the first time she pulled up like that?”

“I did,” Callie responded, “but I think you did more pulling than she did.”

“Nonsense,” Arizona waved her off. “She’s obviously a genius.”

“Obviously,” Callie agreed. 

“How much do you know about her birth?” Arizona tried to casually ask. 

Callie saw through it. “Just that it was traumatic for all of us,” she responded. “Why do ask?”

“When I changed her, I noticed a small scar on her chest.” Arizona gently ran her hand over Sofia’s silky black hair. “I know you said she was a preemie. I assume she had a PDA ligation?”

“Most likely,” Callie responded. “We match. Well, her and this me.” She pulled the neck of her shirt down to show Arizona the scar from her open heart surgery.

“Oh my god!” Arizona exclaimed. “I didn’t even notice that earlier.”

“When I was here before, Cristina  said told me all about it. I can tell you what I remember, but…”

The phone rang out, causing both women to jump, which startled Sofia at first, then sent her into a fit of giggles. Arizona immediately pick her up to enjoy the giggles. 

The phone rang again. “Should I answer it?” Callie asked. 

Arizona just shrugged, her attention focused on the giggling baby. 

“God you are going to be so useless when we have a baby,” Callie teased. She reached over and grabbed the phone from the stand.

“Hello?”

***

“Yes, this is she,” Callie said. “Yes. I… okay… I understand.” Her tone became increasingly more somber as the conversation went on. “Yeah. We’ll be there.”

When she finally hung up the phone, her voice was so low and dejected, it caught the otherwise engaged Arizona’s attention.

“Callie? Is everything okay?”

“No,” she shook her head. “No… I don’t think it is.”

“What’s wrong? Who was that?” Arizona asked. Her concern growing at Callie’s sorrowful expression. 

“That was the estate lawyer calling to confirm our appointment.”

“Okay?” her face twisted in confusion, “Why do you look like someone died?” Her eyed widened, “Oh god, who died?”

“Um, Mark,” Callie answered. “But not yet… he’s dying Monday.”

“What? I don’t understand.”

“All I know is he’s been in a coma for two months and per his medical directive they are taking him off life support in two days.”

***

Arizona felt like a imposter. No, she _was_ an imposter; walking into Seattle Grace in her counterpart’s body made her _very_ _nervous_.

Callie insisted they go over to the hospital to visit Mark and to try and find out what had happened to him. Arizona, however, believed they had no business in his business. Just because they were currently occupying this universe’s Callie and Arizona, that didn’t mean they needed to go snooping around at the hospital. 

Eventually, the dispute was settled when Callie pulled the Sofia-only-has-a-few-days-left-with-her-father card, and Arizona felt too guilty to keep arguing her point, which was: neither of them knew of enough about what was going on in this universe to risk exposure. Callie didn’t share her fear. Callie had experience. Callie had been here before. Although she knew her partner's arguments were all pretty convincing and rational, Arizona still couldn't quite buy in. Arizona was on high alert.

***

The elevator rose toward its destination, slowly moving them closer to the soon to be deceased father of their child. The contents of Callie’s stomach were protesting as much as Arizona--threatening to overwhelm her predominantly fraudulent calm. 

“Callie,” Arizona whined. Her nervousness was extremely obvious. If it weren’t for the tight grip she had on the stroller, she’d have been wringing her hands. “I don’t think I can pull this off.”

“There is nothing for you to ‘pull off’! No one is going to question you about your life. And as far as work, at least you are the same specialty! I’m an orthopedic surgeon here.”

“Really? Did I know that?” Arizona reached over and squeezed Callie’s bicep and whispered. “I’ve always had a thing for strong…”

“Hey! You aren’t allowed to like this me better than me me,” Callie grumbled, as she attempted to pull her arm from Arizona’s grasp.

“Never,” Arizona responded. Pulling Callie back toward her for a kiss. “You you is the only you I will ever love.”

***

After arriving on the fifth floor, the small family made their way to the Intensive Care Unit, where Mark was sure to be located. 

They entered the closed off unit and checked in at the desk. The charge nurse told them that only one could go in to see him, as he already had a visitor. Arizona quickly volunteered to be the one to stay out in the family waiting area with the napping Sofia. Pretending to be someone else was not something she enjoyed, so the fewer people she had to interact with the better.

Callie didn’t like it much either, but she had to know what happened. She had know so she could try to stop it from happening to Mark in her universe. She entered his room to find Derek Shepherd sitting at his bedside.

“Callie,” he said in quiet greeting.

“Derek,” she responded in kind.

“We set for Monday?” he asked, not looking away from his friend.

“Yeah, I uh… I think so.” Callie wracked her brain trying to come up with something to get Derek talking. Anything to get the information flowing. She knew that in this universe Derek was married to Meredith… and that Lexie was her sister. Lexie had been part of her life here, and the odds were that the Lexie here was as dead as the one in her universe, and Meredith would have been affected by it.

“How Meredith holding up?”

Derek sighed, “So much loss lately.”

“Yeah, uh… Lexie...” Callie prodded. 

“Meredith still refused to acknowledge it. I don’t know what I’m going to do, Callie. I’m hoping… when Mark is finally gone, she’ll accept it. Get some closure.”

“Such a tragedy,” Callie whispered. Derek’s words all but confirmed Lexie’s death. “So young… so...”

“Senseless,” Derek snapped.

“What is?”

“All of it,” he scoffed. His grief getting the better of him “Meredith is right. The universe is screwed up. It’s random and mean,” he stood from his spot and walked over to look out the glass partition separating Mark’s room from the rest of the ICU. “If they had done one little thing different.”

“What?” Derek’s words caught Callie’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“You know what happened.”

“Yes,” she lied, “but tell me again. Help me… get closure, too. Talk me through it. If they had done one little thing different....,” she led. 

“If he hadn’t been so desperate to make a big gesture. If he had just taken Highway 99 instead of the scenic route. If they hadn’t stopped to help those people. If they’d been evac’d to this hospital instead of Dillard where they weren’t properly trained to deal with that sort of trauma. I could have saved him. Maybe not Lexie, but Mark’s injuries were survivable. You know it, and I know.” He was angry now. “We should sue that place. Take everything. Shut it down.”

“Derek, calm down,” Callie tried to soothe irate man. “Sometimes, you can’t stop fate.” She closed her eyes and sighed, now resigned to the fact that the Mark in her universe would likely die too. And soon. “Maybe you can change the circumstances,” she continued, “but the universe takes what it wants. When it wants. It doesn't’ matter what we do or how hard we fight against it, the universe always wins. The scales have to balance.”

“Then what’s the point? Why do we even try?”

“Because we have to. It’s who we are. We’re fighters,” Callie said. “We pick our battles, we do everything we can, but no one can win them all. No one leaves this world undefeated, but we fight like hell until then. Right?” Callie wasn’t sure who needed this pep talking more at this point, herself or Derek. 

“So we fight?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Callie reiterated. “We do.”

“I’m filing a wrongful death suit against Dillard,” he said. “I hope you will too.”

“If you think that’s best. Though, I’m not sure closing down a hospital is a good idea. Those people out there need a hospital.”

“So we sue them,” Derek said, “Not to close them down, but to force them to be better. We make them better. I can make them better.”

“I believe you will,” Callie said. “I believe you will.”

***

A few minutes after Callie entered Mark’s room, Sofia started to stir. Not wanting the baby to make a scene, Arizona decided to take her for a walk. After informing the nurse to let Callie know her whereabouts, her and Sofia left the ICU.

As much as she wanted to, she didn’t give in to her curiosity and visit the pediatric ward. Sofia was still young, and likely hadn’t had all of her immunizations. She wasn’t risking taking her baby around other sick children. Not with her history as a micro-preemie. 

They made their way down to the cafeteria. Sofia’s appetite was healthy, so Arizona figured some applesauce wouldn’t be unwelcome. Plus, she wanted a coffee. For it only being mid-afternoon, she was wiped. Probably jet lagged from shifting. Universal jet lagged. She smiled to herself at her joke.

“What’s got you so smiley?”

“Oh!” Arizona jumped. “Hi… uh… Ma... uh… Dr. Bailey.” She wasn’t sure if she was on a first name basis with Mandy Bailey, so she went with professional. Stuttery, for sure, but professional. 

“I thought you and Torres took the weekend off?”

“She wanted to come see Mark. She’s up there now.” Arizona figured that’d be a safe topic. And, sticking as close to the truth as possible couldn’t hurt either.

Bailey nodded her understanding. Arizona purchased her coffee and applesauce and waited for Bailey to finish paying for her food. Her fear of somehow messing things up in this universe almost made her run for it, but she didn’t want to be rude. 

“Let’s go sit,” Bailey said. 

Arizona swallowed her nerves, and joined the other woman at the lunch table. Bailey made small talk about a few patients, while Arizona tried to occupy herself with feeding Sofia the applesauce. 

“Be honest,” Bailey said. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine,” Arizona replied. 

“Robbins, don’t lie to me. I have eyes. I’ve seen how different you’ve been over the past two months. Since the accident. Callie has obviously been grieving, but… something’s been off with you, too. More than just the loss of Mark.”

“I… Uh… I honestly don’t know what you are talking about,” again, Arizona figured the truth was best option. 

“That’s a load of bull if I ever heard it,” Bailey said. “You don’t have to say anyway. I already know what’s bothering you.”

“You do?”

“Of course! I’m Miranda Bailey I know all. I see all,” her expression turned serious. “It’s written all over your face. It’s the same as Derek and Meredith, but yours seem somehow greater. You aren’t responsible for what happened to Mark and Lexie. It wasn’t your fault. You may feel like it is, but it wasn’t. Neither was Nick… or Alex leaving. You can’t take  on all of that guilt on to your shoulders. You need to talk to someone, Arizona. You need help.”

“Oh,” Arizona was suddenly worried about her counterpart. She knew changing the universe had taken a toll on Callie. That knowing things hurt. She could only assume it was just as bad, if not worse, for the person who helped change those things. Who lived through both. She felt an urge to intervene. “Why don’t you talk to me about it in a few days.”

“What?” Bailey was surprised by the response.

“I think I’ll be better equipped to have this conversation in a few days,” Arizona took a deep breath. “As a matter of fact, promise me you will. Promise me we’ll have this conversation again. That you’ll make me seek help. Can you do that for me, Mandy?”

“Mandy?” Bailey mumbled, but Arizona seemed desperate. “Okay. I promise. Next week, I’ll sit with you. Help you find a good therapist.”

“Thank you.”

***

After meeting back up in the lobby, Callie, Arizona, and Sofia went back to the apartment. Both women had a lot on their minds, so conversation was limited. Neither knew what to say. They’d made a huge decision that morning. A wonderful, life-changing decision. But they couldn’t seem to shake the melancholy that came from their visit to hospital. 

As the afternoon wore on, Sofia started rubbing her eyes and by the time evening came and they fixed dinner, she was a cranky bear. Arizona took her into the nursery to prep for  a  bed; bath, fresh diaper, pacifier, and rocking chair time. She couldn’t get enough of this baby, and knowing she likely only had tonight only made it worse. 

She came out of the nursery to find Callie sitting at the kitchen island writing on a piece of stationary.

“She’s down,” Arizona said, fighting back tears. 

“Good, she was turning into a real grumpy bear there for a bit,” Callie looked up from what she was doing and notice Arizona fighting tears. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” she waved Callie off, “I’m just going to miss her.”

“I know it’s hard.”

“What are you…,” Arizona pointed to the pen in Callie’s hand. She didn’t want to think about leaving Sofia.

Callie motioned for Arizona to come closer. “I’m writing the other you a note, so that she knows we were here.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Callie shrugged. “I’m doing it regardless.”

“I think you should,” Arizona said to Callie’s surprise. Callie had thought the blonde would have protested trying to contact her counterpart. “I think she’s having trouble…,” Arizona continued, “I think she’s having guilt from what you guys did. And… I’m just guessing, but I don’t think she told her Callie what happened. She’s trying to deal all by herself. She needs help. ”

“Then we’ll give her help.”

“Good. I don’t know about her, but I tend to internalize a lot. And then I do stupid things like asking to have a baby in the middle of an airport goodbye, then getting drunk and not calling for a week. And that was just… I can’t imagine the guilt she must feel right now. I don’t want her to do something stupid to mess up her family. This family is kind of awesome and I’m sure she would regret it.”

“What? How do you know she’s feeling guilty...”

“Well, I would if I were in her shoes, and I had a conversation with Mandy Bailey at hospital,” Arizona answered.

Callie cringed. “I hope you didn’t call her Mandy.”

“Oh. I did. But she didn’t seem to notice.”

“She yelled at me when I did it,” Callie grumbled.

“Maybe she likes me more,” Arizona couldn’t help but tease the brunette.

“I don’t blame her,” Callie winked.

Arizona smiled in return, but it soon faded as she continued her earlier thought, “Mandy said she could tell that I wasn’t doing too well with everything. Plus, I have this really bad feeling, Callie. I can’t explain it, but she was worried me about me and now I can’t shake this feeling of dread.”

“Okay, what… what should we do?”

“What you are doing,” Arizona said. “Write her the note. But, I think you will need to come back. Not now, not yet. Soon, though. A few months maybe. Just you, to check on her. Make sure she’s getting by.”

“If Genie doesn’t permanently ground me. I’ll do that.” Callie pulled Arizona into a hug, which she immediately melted into. “I promise. I’ll come back.”

Arizona pointed to the note, “What will you say?”

“I don’t know,” Callie locked her gaze with Arizona. “What would you want to hear?”

“Tell her… Tell her to hang in there. To stay strong. Be a good man in a storm and everything will be okay.”

***

“When I wake up, I’m going to be back in Africa.” 

Callie and Arizona laid facing each other in their counterparts’ comfortable bed. Neither wanting to fall asleep and end their day together, but they were both having trouble keeping their eyes open. 

“Yep,” Callie hummed. She ran her fingers up and down Arizona’s arm, needing to touch her, knowing she wouldn’t be able to for months. 

“Do you think our Mark is going to die?”

“Yep,” Callie answered again. “I’m more sure now than ever. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to stop it, though.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Arizona touched Callie’s face. “Whatever you do, though, be careful.”

“Always.”

“I’m going to miss you.”

“Me too.”

“As soon as I get up, I’m going into Lilongwe and getting a phone, then I’m calling you. I don’t care what time it is here/there…,” she scrunched her face, “where you are.”

A lazy smile formed on Callie’s face, “You’d better. And then every day after that.”

“I will. I promise.”

“I never want to go a week without talking to you again. Ever.”

“Me either.”

“I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. It’s time for us to go,” Callie’s eyes were drifting closed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Calliope,” Arizona said, her own eyes fluttering shut. “I’ll talk to you soon”

***

 


	36. Chapter 36

**_Day 9 / Arizona in Africa._ **

“Callie, I’m so sorry,” Arizona said into little camera on her laptop. As soon as she had returned from shifting to the other universe, she and Alex went to Lilongwe and got the best phones they could, and she demanded that the Carter Madison people get her internet up and running in her apartment.  Which they were currently in the process of doing. Arizona, however, was in her office at the clinic, desperately trying to console the near hysterical woman. “Do you want me to fly home?”

“Of course I do, Arizona,” Callie wiped at her tears, “I always want you, but I know you can’t. It’s not practical. I’ll be fine. I… we knew this was coming.”

“Maybe we can shift again? So I can… hold you.”

“I don’t know how to do it consciously well enough yet. Plus, they’re grieving too. They need each other and their baby.”

“Poor, Sofia,” Arizona swallowed over the lump in her throat. She didn’t know Mark all that well, and she certainly wasn’t as close as Callie was, but she felt for the baby that had lost her father. Here, Mark didn’t have anyone. “Tell me again what happened?”

* * *

 

_“Torres, you made me get a physical after Ellis died. I’m fine-- healthy as a horse.”_

_“Horses die all the time!” Callie yelled. “From exhaustion. Are you working too hard? Is being the interim Chief too stressful for you?”_

_“Why are you so obsessed with my death?” Mark asked. “It’s bordering on creepy.”_

_“I know,” Callie conceded. She didn’t know how to explain to Mark why she was so fearful for him. “Can we please just go in and do an echo? Then I’ll buy you lunch. I promise.”_

* * *

 

“His echo was fine,” Callie explained. “We went to lunch… I spent all of Sunday with him. I followed him around like a crazed stalker. We went furniture shopping for his new place. He said he wanted to stay even after Addison returned.”

* * *

 

_“I’ve got some big plans for this hospital, you know. I want the burn unit to be the best on the west coast.”_

* * *

 

“He said that all my talk of death, and the way Ellis just dropped dead, got him thinking about a family and his legacy,” Callie sobbed, “and how he was going to settle down and have a family. He just needed to find his soulmate. Like I had with you,” Callie swallowed. “And for a little while, I was sure he was going to. I felt like something had changed and he was going to live. But I was wrong. So, so wrong.”

* * *

 

_“Torres? Go home to your family and leave me alone. Call Arizona. Have some phone sex.”_

* * *

 

“Those were his last words to me,” Callie explained. “Apparently he got paged into the hospital at some point. Because when I came in this morning, he was in his office. Ellis’ old office. On the couch. Dead. He was just dead. I found him. I tried CPR, but he was cold. He’d been dead for awhile.”

“Callie,” Arizona said. She wished she could reach through the monitor and comfort the other woman.

“Maggie Webber’s doing the autopsy as we speak. She’s here full time now, did I tell you?”

“No, but I heard through the grapevine that she was coming.”

“He has no next of kin. Addison is handling everything. She’s devastated,” Callie blew her nose. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “He’s just gone, Arizona. That’s that. End of line.”

“He’ll live on. In the other universe, through Sofia.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

Arizona tried to get Callie’s mind on something else, “Have you um… heard from Genie at all?”

“Nope,” Callie shook her head. “Not a word. Still radio silence.”

“At least she’s not scolding you for shifting us.”

“Yeah, I’m not in the mood for that.”

“How are the kids?” Arizona asked.

“Missing you.”

“God, I miss them too, Callie,” Arizona admitted. “You have no idea. I feel like there is a part of me that’s gone… empty. There’s a Torres family shaped hole. Will you kiss them for me?”

“Always.” Callie’s phone buzzed across her desk. She picked it up and read the message, then looked back to her computer monitor, “Hey, it’s Maggie. She wants to talk to me….”

“Okay, I’m going to head home and go to bed now. It’s really late and I’m wiped.”

“I’m sorry I called so late,” Callie said.

“Don’t be,” Arizona smiled warmly. “I was still at the clinic working. You didn’t make me stay late.”

“God, I miss you and I love you and I just can’t wait to see you and hold you again.”

“Me too, me too,” Arizona held her hand up to the screen and Callie did the same.

“See you soon,” they said in unison.

* * *

 

**_Day 15_ **

It was Sunday afternoon. The kids went down for a nap after their ‘Nona Time.’ Callie lounged on the couch, her feet up on the coffee table, laptop in her lap, finally enjoying some alone time with her long distance love.

“The funeral?” Arizona asked. Callie had called her back last week to let her know the autopsy results. Mark had died from a massive aneurysm. It was most likely instantaneous, and had anyone been there, nothing could have been done. He’d been walking around with a time bomb in his head, not his heart. Callie still kicked herself for not making him get a head CT. She’d been so focused on the heart, she didn’t even think of the head.

“Was a funeral,” Callie avoided.

“Callie,” Arizona gently prodded.

“I didn’t go,” Callie replied. “Just the memorial. I don’t do funerals.”

“Never? What if I were to…,”

“If you finish that sentence, I’ll come through the monitor and off you myself. You are never, ever going to…,” Callie couldn’t even say the words. “I’m going first. That’s the only outcome I’ll accept.”

“How about if we go together?” Arizona’s face twisted in thought, “But we have to be at least… ninety.”

“Ninety-five and you have a deal.”

Callie just stared at her beautiful girlfriend for a moment. She looked exhausted, but happy.

“You’re beautiful,” Callie smiled. She wanted to touch the other woman so badly.

“Thank you,” Arizona blushed despite herself. “So are you.”

Callie blushed too. “How’s Karev?” She asked.

“Not beautiful,” Arizona laughed. “But good. He’s an ass sometimes, but he’s got skills. And he cares. I can teach him how not to be an ass, but I don't have to teach him how to care.”

“Maggie keeps asking about him,” Callie interjected, “and I have no idea why.”

Arizona bit her lip. She knew she shouldn’t tell. It wasn’t her place. But Callie kept her up to date on all the hospital gossip. “Um, he slept with her the night of Ellis’ funeral.”

Callie sat up straight on the couch, “He what?”

“Alex slept with Maggie Webber. He thought she was going back to Boston and it’d be no big deal but…,” Arizona shrugged.

“Is that why he ran? Is that why… wait… oh my god Arizona.”

“What? What?” Arizona sat up a her bed, “Callie?”

“I think Maggie is pregnant.”

“Noo…,” Arizona breathed. “How? How do you know?”

“Well, I know she drinks--I saw her at Ellis’ memorial--but she refused alcohol at Mark’s, and she toasted him with ginger ale. Also, we’ve been having lunch together since the autopsy and she’s been eating really healthy. Kale salads and whole grains. And she’s been nauseous.”

The side of Arizona’s mouth twitched. She pressed her lips firmly together to keep the laugh from bubbling, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away.

“Arizona? You think this is funny?”

Arizona shook her head in denial, but Callie didn’t buy it.

“You do! You think this is funny.”

Arizona couldn’t hold it in any longer. She let herself laugh. When she got her giggles under control, she managed, “Don’t you?”

“I don’t know?”

“Come on. Alex sleeps with his girlfriend’s best friend, then gets his now ex-girlfriend’s sister pregnant? No wonder he begged me to come to Africa!”

“Do you think he knows?”

“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t.”

“Are you going to tell him?” Callie asked.

“Oh...no,” Arizona shook her head. “Not me.”

“Right,” Callie leaned back against the couch again. “We don’t even know if it’s true.”

* * *

 

**_Day 35_ **

“It’s true?” Callie grabbed Maggie’s arm excitedly. “You’re pregnant?”

“I am,” Maggie nodded. She and Callie had become pretty close since she’d done the autopsy on the interim chief a month ago. They walked along the path at the park by Callie’s house. Maggie used to be a runner, but now she walked. Running in her condition made her too drained. Too nauseous. So she and Callie walked every evening. Sometimes the kids were there, but tonight they were with Owen. Maggie enjoyed Callie’s company, and her kids were adorable.

Maggie hadn’t been spending much time with her family. She wasn’t avoiding them, but Meredith had been icy and her dad had been withdrawn. Neither were able to provide Maggie with the kind of emotional support she craved in the wake of her mother’s death. But Callie had been. She had been grieving too, and their grieving process was similar, though Callie’s loss wasn’t nearly as great as Maggie’s. They’d grown close in their almost identical outlooks. Both understood the inevitability of death, but still managed to maintain a positive outlook on life. Meredith was downright gloomy at times, and Richard… was grieving his wife. His soulmate was gone and that took time to get over.

Maggie had grown to trust Callie and it was getting to the point where she wouldn’t be able to hid her pregnancy anymore. She had to tell someone.

“I knew it!” Callie exclaimed.

“You did?”

“No, I mean… yes. I suspected,” Callie stuttered. “I figured it out about a month ago… talking to Arizona. Alex had mentioned you when asking if he could join her in Africa.”

“So… wait does Alex know?” Maggie panicked.

“No,” Callie assured the other woman. “No, Alex is blissfully unaware. You should… tell him though. Especially since… I assume you are keeping it?”

“Yes… I… at first I thought about getting an abortion, but… I conceived this baby the night of my mother’s memorial. Who does that?” Maggie stopped walking and looked around to make sure they were alone on the path, “I couldn’t just get rid of the baby… what if… you know reincarnation is real? And… I swear, Callie Torres, if you tell anyone I said this I will deny it because I’m a scientist. I don’t believe in crazy stuff, but… What if the soul that is meant for this baby is my mothers?”

Callie’s eyebrow rose, “Well, I guess anything is possible.” She didn’t add that she had firsthand knowledge of what was actually possible.

“I know it’s silly, but I couldn’t get it out of my head,” Maggie sighed. “And… I could have given the baby up for adoption. I fully believe in adoption. But I’d already decided to return here. If I was going to have a secret baby, I would have stayed in Boston. Seems like that would have been a better plan than moving here and doing it. So here I am. In Seattle, single, pregnant-- the dad is an ass in Africa who I wasn’t even seeing romantically… in romance. I came home to not feel so alone, but… ”

“You’re going to be fine, Maggie,” Callie soothed the other woman. “Meredith and Richard will come around. They’re your family.

“Yeah… but Alex and Meredith were engaged… and now I’m having his baby. She’s never going to forgive me.”

“She will,” Callie assured the other woman. “Eventually. In the meantime. I’ll be your friend. And as your new friend I want to share some news with you too.”

“Gossip?”

“I’m sure it will be,” Callie asked.

“Arizona and I are going to have a baby, too.”

“What? How? When? Who’s pregnant?”

“Neither of us yet, but when she gets home… we’ve both been browsing for donors. I thought it’d be hard being worlds apart, but the internet really makes the world a lot smaller place.

* * *

 

**_Day 60_ **

“Arizona this donor is perfect. He is everything we’ve been looking for. He checks every box on your list, what don’t you like about him?” Callie was holding up a print out of her top pick for the camera on the laptop for Arizona to see.

“He just… looks kind of douchey.”

“You think they all look douchey.”

“Because most men are… except my brother.”

“Wait…,” Callie’s face twisted in surprise, “you want to use your brother as a donor?”

“No!” Arizona held up her hands to the screen and furiously shook her head, “God no… that’d be… weird right? Me carrying your egg fertilized with my brother’s… ew… No… I can’t even think about it.” She sighed, lost in her thoughts for a moment.

“This is harder than I thought it’d be,” Callie said.

“I just wish…,” Arizona trailed off, not wanting to verbalize her thought.

“What? What do you wish, Arizona?” Callie pushed.

“I wish we could have Sofia.” When Callie didn’t say anything for a few moments, Arizona thought she’d stepped over a line. She started to backtrack, “Not that I won’t love any child we have…”

“What if…” Callie looked nervous, “what if we could?”

“Callie, what do you mean?”

* * *

 

_Callie sat in the quiet coffee shop, scrolling through page after page of donor profiles on her laptop. She and Arizona had been having trouble coming to a consensus on what they were looking for. Arizona had been finding faults in all of them. Callie didn’t know what it was that Arizona was looking for, but no one seemed to have it. She looked up when she heard the bell over the door just in time to see Addison struggling to push get the stroller through the entrance. Callie sat back in her seat and smiled as she watched her friend’s plight._

_Addison made her way to the table and scowled at her smiling friend. “You could have helped, you know.”_

_Callie waved her off, “You had it handled. You should try getting through doors with a double stroller._

_“No thank you,” Addison said._

_“Hey, your next one could be twins.”_

_“There isn’t going to be a next one. I’m one and done. I don’t know how you handle three.”_

_“They handle me, I don’t handle them,” Callie laughed. The waitress came and took Addison’s order, then left the two women and sleeping baby alone. Callie expression became serious, “So… how was it?”_

_Addison shrugged at first, then said, “It was the strangest will reading I’ve ever been to.”_

_“You’ve been to a lot?”_

_“Four,” Addie replied, “Five, counting Mark’s. Two grandparents, a great aunt, and my mother. He knew what he was doing when he chose me to be the executor.”_

_“What was so strange about it?” Callie asked. “He didn’t have a video did he? Please, tell me he didn’t…”_

_“No, no… that wasn’t the strange part,” Addison looked around to make sure no one was listening. When she was sure there were no unwanted eavesdroppers she said, “He left me everything…,” her volume dropping to a whisper, “including some frozen sperm.”_

_“He what?”_

_“He left me all of his assets to donate as I see fit. And his sperm to… donate as I see fit.”_

* * *

 

“Callie,” Arizona shook her head. “Are you suggesting we use Mark’s sperm?”

“No,” Callie shrugged. “Unless you want to.”

“But… even if we did… that wouldn’t mean we’d have Sofia.”

“No, I know that. The odds of that happening are astronomical, but…”

“There are no buts, it’d be impossible.”

“I know, but listen… there’s more.”

* * *

 

_“Apparently,” Addison continued, “he had an aching womb about a year or so ago after some old woman told him if he didn’t ‘save his seed’ he’d be missing out on his destiny. So he did, then six months later I got pregnant and he forgot all about his prospective frozen progeny and latched onto me and my not-frozen progeny. The letter in the will said he’d forgotten all about it until you--he mentioned you by name--started scaring the crap out of him with all the death talk. What does that even mean?”_

_Callie feigned ignorance, but she couldn’t stop thinking about who the old woman might be, and what her goal was in assuring Mark achieved his destiny._

* * *

 

“So, you’re thinking the old lady was Genie?”

“I don’t know, Arizona,” Callie answered honestly. “But I can’t get it out of my head that it might have been.”

“And there is still no word from her?”

“None,” Callie answered. “I’ve gone to all of her usual haunts. Tried calling her… you know, with my mind. I felt ridiculous, but I did it… and nothing. She’s avoiding me.”

“Well, what does Addison plan to do with Mark’s… sperm?”

“Right now it’s still stored at the facility where he donated. In New York. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do with it.”

“Does she know we are trying?”

“No, I haven’t told her yet. I was waiting until closer to the time when I need to start hormone injections. I didn’t want to… move too fast for you.”

“Too fast for me? Callie, do you think I’m having doubts?” Arizona raised her voice in frustration, “We are looking a donor for god’s sake.”

“I know that, but you are also a world away and not finding anyone you like,” Callie replied. “We still have four months until you return.”

Arizona nodded when she realized Callie didn’t mean to imply she had doubts. She licked her lips and sighed. “Would it be weird to use a dead man’s sperm?”

“Yes,” Callie simply said. Arizona shoulders deflated a bit, “Yes, but if we even want a shot at a miracle, then we have no other choice.”

“I wish you could talk to Genie,” Arizona rubbed her eyes, “See what she thinks.”

“I think, that she would think, the decision of whether or not to use Mark’s sperm is ours and our alone.”

“Do you think Mark’s swimmers are part of our destiny?”

“I think… you haven’t found a donor that you even remotely like. We know he has good genes. We’ve seen the result and she’s amazing. Even if… she isn’t our destiny here, I don’t see a downside. He’s dead, Arizona. This baby will be ours. Sofia or not.”

“Yeah,” Arizona chewed on her lip while her mind whirled with the implications. “If we use his, we don’t have to worry about a The Kids Are Alright scenario,” she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Okay, let’s put him at the top of our list. I’ll keep looking and see if anyone else stands out. But in the meantime…,” the side of Arizona’s mouth quirked up, “you’re going to need to tell Addison not to do anything drastic with Mark’s… stuff.”

“Okay,” Callie rubbed her forehead, “that’s gonna be a fun conversation.”

* * *

 

**_Day 65_ **

Callie waited patiently in Addison’s office, the very office she’d found Mark dead in. She thought it’d be more uncomfortable to be in this room, but people died all over this hospital for all sorts of reasons. If she let that bother her, she’d never be able to go anywhere.  

Addison had officially returned from maternity leave and was full-on in her job as Chief of Surgery at the newly renamed Grey Sloan Memorial. Renaming the hospital had been had been one of Addison’s first requests to the board as chief, which they happily adopted. Grey because the institution had become synonymous with her name, and Sloan because Addison had donated Mark’s estate to set up the burn center that he so enthusiastically championed.

Callie’s eyes roamed the room. Addison had barely started personalizing it. Photos of baby Ben and some of her awards and achievements were there, but nothing else screamed Addison Forbes Montgomery. It was still very sparse and impersonal. Callie wondered if Addison was doing that on purpose to allow everyone to adjust to her being the new chief or if there was another reason.

Addison strolled confidently into the room, her assistant trailing behind her. “I need you to move my 4:00 back a half hour and then squeeze in a call with Jennings.We have to make a decision on the new hospital logo before tomorrow’s press conference. We can’t do a big reveal with nothing but a name to reveal. It’s just not,” Addie finally noticed Callie sitting in the chair in front of her desk, “Callie? I haven’t seen you in a week. Where have you been hiding?” She turned back to her assistant, “Thanks, Meg. That’s all for now, I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

The assistant made her way out of the room and shut the door behind her.

“I haven’t been the busy one, _Chief,_ ” Callie teased. “You’ve been a hard one to get an appointment with.”

“You have an appointment?”

“I’m your 2:30. I tried to have lunch with you three times this week but you cancelled every time.  This was the only way I could see you.”

Addison flopped down in the chair behind her desk and sighed. “So this means for the next half hour all I have to do is talk to you?”

“Yep. I booked you a break and a small um... conversation.”

Addison raised her eyebrows, “Hmm, what do you want to talk about?”

Callie looked over her shoulder to make sure the door to office was shut, the turned back to Addison and took a deep breath before blurting, “Mark’s semen.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I want to talk to you about Mark’s sperm. His baby gravy. His… motherlode….”

“Callie! I get it,” Addison held her hand up to stop the rambling woman, “but what I don’t get is… why?”

“Because Arizona and I have decided to have a baby and we maybe, just possibly, a little bit want to use Mark’s building materials.”

Addison sat back in her chair and studied the other woman closely. “I thought you didn’t want anymore children. We gave you a tubal and everything.”

“Things change,” Callie replied. “Arizona happened and now we want a baby. We’ll use IVF and Arizona is going to carry.”

“Arizona?” Addison chuckled. “She doesn't’ seem the baby carrying  type.”

“She’s a pediatric surgeon. She loves kids.”

“Well, why does Arizona need IVF, she can just…”

“We are using my eggs. She wants to carry my baby.”

Addison sat quietly for a moment, contemplating everything that Callie had said to her. “She must really love you.”

“She does. We do,” Callie replied. “We love each other, Addison. We’re meant to be. And we’re meant to have this baby.”

“You already have three, Callie.”

“And Arizona and I are meant to have a baby _together_. I know we are.”

“With Mark’s sperm?”

“Yes.”

“This is a big thing. Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Sure about the baby? Yes,” Callie sighed. “About using Mark’s sperm? No. Not a hundred percent, but we have to take the chance.”

“What chance?”

Callie sighed again, “I can’t tell you why Addison, but trust me when I say if the miracle happens, you and Mark’s sperm will have made two women very, very happy. You’ll have made another happy family.”

“Okay,” Addison agreed.

“Really?”

“Really,” the redhead smiled. “When do you want to start?”

“I want to be ready to harvest and implant as soon as she gets back from Africa.”

“And that’s?”

“Four months,” Callie grinned. “She’ll be home in four months.”

* * *

 

**_Day 80_ **

“Cristina and Owen got married four days after our divorce was final and he didn’t even tell me they were planning it,” Callie said into the camera on her laptop. “Can you believe that?”

“Callie we are planning to have a child, and you haven’t discussed it with him,” Arizona countered. “Is it really so surprising that Owen and Cristina took the next step in their relationship?”

“No,” Callie whined. “But…”

“But it still hurts?”

“No… not really. I understand that they are, supposedly, as meant to be as we are, but Cristina is a Cardio fellow. A brilliant one at that. She’s going to be wooed hard. What if she leaves and he follows and then we have to have a huge custody battle and everything we’ve built falls apart? What if this messes up our family. You, me, Allie, BoGo and… our new baby. I want us to all be a family together.”

“We will be no matter what. If you have to share custody from afar, then that’s just a bridge we’ll have to cross when we come it. You and Owen will make the right decisions for the kids. I know this and so do you. So be happy he found his soulmate.”

“I am,” Callie nodded. “I am.”

* * *

 

**_Day 90_ **

_“Mark’s sperm has arrived,”_ Callie typed into her phone. “ _It’s at Jake’s new practice downtown. He’s ready to get started on my treatments so my eggs will be nice and fresh and ready for your amazing uterus as soon as you get back.”_

 _“My amazing uterus is ready for your magical eggs,”_ Arizona replied. Her phone immediately started ringing. She slid her finger across the front to answer and said, “Hello beautiful.”

“Magical eggs? Really?” Callie laughed on the other end of the line.

“I was going for whimsical and cute.”

“Well, you landed on a rainbow colored unicorn.”

“Fine,” Arizona playfully groused. “I’ll take my excitement down a notch.”

“Don’t you dare.”

* * *

 

**_Day 100_ **

“Maggie finally told Meredith and Richard that she was pregnant,” Callie moved around the kitchen fixing breakfast for the kids talking to the laptop that sat on the island.

“And… what did they say? Did she tell them about Alex?” Arizona was eating a bowl of cooked local vegetables and rice.

“They were happy. And um… no they don’t know about Alex. She said she wants to tell him first, but hasn’t worked up the nerve yet. She’s a really sweet girl, Arizona. She’s funny and kind. Don’t let Alex ruin her. Please prepare him.”

“How am is supposed to do that?”

“Improvise. Use some sort of analogy with one of your patients. We do that all the time when teaching.”

“Uh, okay I’ll think of something, but she needs to tell him. I’m not talking to him before hand, it’s not my place,” Arizona nodded. “Okay?”

“Fine,” Callie agreed to Arizona’s terms.

Arizona sat her bowl aside and rubbed her hands together. “Now where are the kids?”

“They are getting dressed. They’ll be down in a minute. Have some a patience.”

“I miss them!”

“I know and… oh.. Here they come.”

Shouts of “Nona! Nona!” Came from the stairwell.

“Slow down,” Callie  warned. “You don’t want to fall down the steps.”

“Nona!” Gavin was the first to arrive. “I drawed you a picture.” He held up a piece of paper with scribbles all over it. “It’s you n’me.”

“We look awesome, buddy.”

“I’ma put it in the box! ‘Kay?”

“Of course, and when I get it I’m going to hang it on the wall right there,” Arizona pointed the empty spot on the wall behind her. Callie sent Arizona a box of stuff from home once a month and the kids loved to put things in there.

“Up, up!”

Arizona could hear Gus, but not see him yet. He wasn’t quite as rambunctious as his brother, who’d quickly climbed up onto the barstools at the island on his own. She watched as Callie moved into view and bend over to pick the shyer twin up and place him on the stool beside his brother.

“Hi, Nona,” he said. “When you coming home?”

“Hi, Gussy,” Arizona smiled, her dimples popping, “Less than three months buddy. My time is almost up. Where’s your sister?”

Gavin’s face appeared back on the screen pushing his brother aside, “She’s bwrushin’ her teeth. She can do it by herself now.”

“She’s got a surprise for you,” Gus squeezed himself back into the frame, “She loseded her….”

“Hey,” Callie shouted. “You boys know Allegra wanted to tell Arizona about that. So hush.”

“Oh my goodness,” Arizona smiled at the boys. “I’m so excited. I love surprises.”

Callie made a face, “You hate surprises.”

“Not from the tiny humans. I love when they surprise me.”

“I’m coming! I’m coming! Nona, don’t hang up… I’m coming.” Allegra yelled while running down the stairs.

“Hey, missy, you know better than to run in the house. Arizona isn’t going anywhere until she talks to you, so slow down,” Callie chastised the young girl.

Allegra slowed to a walk, but couldn’t contain herself once she was off the stairs. She skipped to the island and pushed her way in between her two brothers. She held her hands up to hide her mouth and said, “Guess what, Nona?” She couldn’t wait long enough for Arizona to to respond before pulling her hands down and smiling big to show off her missing tooth. “I lost a tooth!”

“Oh my goodness, Allegra! You lost a tooth?”

“Yeah, and the Tooth Fairy came last night!”

“Wow! You know I met the Tooth Fairy once,” Arizona smiled. “At my old hospital in Baltimore. I was working overnight and I saw her in a patient’s room.”

“Wreally, Nona?” Gus’ eyes were wide.

“What’d she wook like?” Gavin asked.

“Oh, she was really, really pretty,” Arizona said. “Kinda sparkly.”

Arizona and the kids talked about the Tooth Fairy for a while, discussing what Allegra found under her pillow and possible ways for her to move from house to house and remain undetected. Callie finally came and stopped them when she had breakfast ready. The kids groaned and said their goodbyes and Callie took their place in front of the laptop.

“The Tooth Fairy is pretty, huh?”

“I believe I said really, _really_ pretty.”

“Should I be jealous?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Arizona winked.

“You’re into sparkly women?” Arizona just shrugged in response.

“Mmm, that’s good to know.”

* * *

 

**_Day 120_ **

Alex burst into his mentor’s office without knocking. Arizona could tell from the look of panic on his face that he was finally in the know.

“I’m going to have to call you back,” Arizona said into the phone receiver, “Yes, Callie I promise.” Arizona rolled her eyes playfully. “I love you too. Yes, I know. Bye.” She hung up her phone and looked to her young fellow, “What can I do for you Karev?”

“You can tell me why you knew I was going to be a dad before I did.”

“I.. don’t know what…”

“Cut the crap. Maggie said Callie has known from the start… and if Torres knew, so did you.”

“Alex,” Arizona sighed. “It wasn’t my place.”

“I thought we were....,” his shoulders were hard with tension, “You know… friends, or whatever. How could you keep this from me? You don’t even know Maggie.”

“Maggie trusted Callie, and I couldn’t betray Callie’s trust.”

“Why didn’t anyone trust me? I can be a good guy.”

“Your track record would suggest otherwise,” Arizona stated honestly. “Look, I know your heart is in the right place, Alex, but Maggie only knows the guy that cheated on her sister then slept with her when she was drunk and grieving. She doesn’t know you.”

“Does she want to know me?”

“I don’t know,” Arizona answered, “but the fact that she called you all says something.”

He stopped pacing around the room and sat down on his mentor’s couch. “This is…. This is big….”

“It is,” Arizona agreed. “It’s life changing.”

“She gave me an out.”

“Are you going to take it?”

“I don’t know…,” Alex sighed. “Am I cut out to be a dad?”

“I’ve watched you sit in the nursery and hold a baby all night. You’ll make an awesome father.”

“But, it’s all so fast.”

“That’s life, Alex,” Arizona replied, “It changes in an instant. Turns on a dime. One minute you're alone, and then the next, you’re with the most amazing woman in the world, and are in love. And you become part of this amazing thing that is bigger than you. You become a family. Call her. Facetime with her. Get to know if you want to go home to her and your child.”

“But what if Maggie and I aren’t meant to be a family? What if we don’t hit it off…”

“Then Maggie and that baby will be a family and you and that baby will be a family,” Arizona leaned back in her chair, “Either way Alex, you have something to go home to. Your fellowship is with me and I’m going to be at Grey Sloan. So, you have a decision to make.”

“Well, I can’t be there and not be…,” Alex rubbed his face roughly with his hands. He shook his head and let out a chuckle, “God, it’s going to be so complicated. With Mer and Richard.”

“High reward, though,” Arizona nodded. “You know how incredible you feel when you pull off an risky surgery? The joy? I know I’m new to it, this having a family thing, and believe me it’s not simple loving someone who already has that. You risk your heart and… It’s terrifying. But the reward, Alex, is joy.”

“I guess…,” Alex finally smiled, “I guess I’m going to be a dad.”

“Congratulations, Karev.”

* * *

 

**_Day 130_ **

“Alex tells me it’s a boy?” Arizona smiled from the laptop.

“It is,” Callie smiled back. “I went with her to the ultrasound. She doesn’t really have anyone. Meredith is still… a little bitter since finding out Karev is the father, and Webber…,” Callie sighed. “He’s been drinking… a lot.”

“Alex says him and Maggie are getting along well; I hope they can work things out.”

“She feels the same way.”

“Less than two months, Callie,” Arizona teared up a little. “Can you believe it?”

“I’m counting the days.”

* * *

 

**_Day 160_ **

Arizona felt her phone buzzing in her lab coat pocket, but couldn’t answer because she was talking with some parents about an upcoming procedure she’d be performing on their 7 year old. It was a procedure that would change the quality of life for all of them. It was important. But her phone kept buzzing, drawing her attention away from where it should be at the moment.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket to find four missed calls from Callie. He face must have shown her worry, because her patient’s father started speaking.

“If you need to take that call,” the translator said, “Mr. Tembo says you should take it. He’s grateful for all you’ve done and are going to do for Bomani and that they can wait while you sort your business.”

“Thank you,” Arizona stood from her desk, “I’ll be right back.”

She walked down the hall to the small lounge where she could have some privacy.

She dialed Callie’s number and the call connected immediately.

“Arizona? Thank god,” Callie said. Arizona could barely hear her over the screaming in the background. Screaming that sounded like one of the boys.

“Callie, what’s wrong?” She immediately shouted into the phone. “What’s going on.”

“It’s Gavin,” Callie managed through her tears. She’d been strong until the sound of Arizona’s voice allowed her a moment of vulnerability. “He.. he…,” she couldn’t get the words out between her sobs.

“What? What happened?” Arizona could hear the young boy screaming and Owen talking in the background.

“Owen and Cristina bought a fire station to live in,” Callie said angrily.

“Okay? I’m confused,” Arizona said, “tell me what’s wrong with Gavin.”

“Owen bought a home that has a giant hole in the floor with a pole running down the middle… _and he didn’t child proof it_.”

“Oh no…”

“Gavin broke his ankle,” Callie sobbed. “It’s a growth plate fracture. He needs surgery.”

“Oh my god, Callie. I’m… I’m coming home. I’ll… I’ll… scrub in. I’ll do it. I can be there in….”

“Twenty hours, minimum,” Callie said. “He can’t wait, and you can’t… you just can’t...”

“Callie…”

“There’s no point, Arizona,” Callie sniffed, her tears slowing. “It’s too much travel just to turn around and go back in a couple days. Don’t do that to yourself. When you come back, I want it to be for good.”

“Who’s on call from ortho?”

“Wiley,” Callie practically growled. She still hadn’t forgiven the woman for what she’d done and said when they first got together. But Arizona was friends with her before, and she trusted Arizona’s judgement. “Promise me she’s good, Arizona. Promise me she’s good enough for our son.”

Arizona licked her lips and swallowed. She didn’t want her voice to break because Callie had said ‘our son’, and maybe she meant hers and Owen’s, but she said it to her, and it moved Arizona to be included. She cleared her throat, “She may not be a very good friend, but she’s an excellent surgeon. I trust her with Gavin. I promise you that.”

A particularly loud whimper from Gavin pulled Callie’s attention back to the sobbing toddler, “I gotta go, Arizona. Wiley’s here….”

“Callie no… don’t hang up… I want to be there for the conversation. Just… have an intern hold the phone. I want to hear everything.”

* * *

 

**_Day 173_ **

Maggie was resting on the couch in Callie’s office, while Callie sat at her desk and caught up on charting. She’d missed another week of work due to Gavin’s accident, but he was recovering nicely, allowing her to return to work rather quickly. Children were resilient, that’s what Arizona kept telling her, and it turned out to be true. Gavin was already itching to get up and play. He wanted to walk.

“How has Owen been handling it?” Maggie asked. “I haven’t seen him around much.”

“Not well,” Callie looked up from the chart she was writing in. “CPS came to see him, and me actually, but Gavin was in his care when it happened. They don’t want the kids there until he closes off that hole. They don’t think he did it on purpose, but he’s blaming himself and has kind of spiraled back into his pre-Cristina dark phase. I’m kind of worried about him.”

“And Arizona?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I haven’t talked to her for two days. She’s been acting weird since it happened. Not calling as much… and I actually thought she’d be calling more, not less. She’s been distant. I’m afraid it scared her…,” Callie closed the chart and tossed on the growing pile beside her. “I just hope it didn’t scare her away.”

“It didn’t scare me,” a familiar voice said from just outside Callie’s office door, “It inspired me. I wasn’t being distant, I was just trying to finish my surgeries and wrap things up, so I could get home,” Arizona stepped into view. “I’m home, Callie. Surprise!”

Callie just sat at the desk, unmoving for a few long seconds. Her shock kept her stuck to her seat. She was unable to comprehend what she was seeing at first, then suddenly, as if her brain had caught up with her eyes and ears, she was crying tears of joy. “Arizona? You’re home?”

“I am.”

Callie made her way around the desk, and met Arizona halfway. They melted into each other’s arms and sobbed their joy. “I missed you,” Callie said. “Don’t ever leave me again.” She pulled the equally weepy blonde into a kiss--the kind of kiss that shouldn’t be shared in front of someone else. Maggie cleared her throat in an attempt to make them aware that she was still there but they ignored her.

After a few more minutes of  watching their escalating kisses, Maggie decided it was time to stop them.

“Callie? Hello? I’m still here.”

Callie pulled back from Arizona’s lips long enough to ask, “Wait… why are you still here?”

“Because I’m stuck on this couch. I’m very pregnant and I can’t get up.”

  
  



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